A Twist In Time
by vandenburgs
Summary: Hogwarts, 2018. A group of students are sent back in time by Professor McGonagall, Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom to dismantle a Death Eater captation network that had passed unnoticed to the members of the Order at the time – and thus throwing them into an entire year of darkness, confusion and chaos.
1. Introduction

_Hogwarts, 2018_

"I'm not entirely sure whether we should go through with this, Potter."

"With all due respect, Professor - time is not something to be meddled with."

McGonagall snorted quietly, shaking her head at the younger man's words. They had been mulling over the same idea for the past half hour, and they still hadn't come to terms with what was to be done about it - and arguing with Harry Potter, being as blunt as he was, wasn't exactly an easy task.

"Oh, so let's just send a group of children back in time and let them toy with the very outcome of the last war!" retorted McGonagall, letting out a huff. "Because that isn't meddling with time."

"Harry does have a point, Professor," noted Neville cautiously. In spite of being a thirty-eight-year-old Hogwarts professor, he was still as soft-spoken as he used to be as a teenager. "If you decided to send them back once, being aware of all the risks we were going to take in doing so, it's only right that we shouldn't break the circle now."

"It still sounds ludicrous to me, Longbottom. To send our students back in time, without the Ministry's explicit approval and their parents knowing about it! We're talking about minors!"

"Professor, you do realize that most of us were still children back in the war too, don't you?"

McGonagall huffed. "It's not the same thing, Potter."

The spectacled man shrugged his shoulders and placed a careful hand on his former professor's shoulder. McGonagall had always been fond of him, but she had always been wary of his way of doing things - even though he ended up being right most of the times.

"Please, just let me talk to them when they get back from the holidays," he said carefully. "Neville has been studying them for years now, and I'm sure he's made the best choices. The time has come, and I'm sure they'll understand. Merlin's sake, they might even be willing to collaborate from the beginning."

McGonagall sighed. "Potter, I really hope you're right about this whole idea."

"Well, we are here, right?" Neville shrugged quietly, and then did a faint smile. "It went fine, and all things considered it shouldn't go wrong this time. I met them all when I was younger - they really are to be trusted, Professor."

"I'm not questioning my students' integrity," replied McGonagall, a little too harshly. "But they're children, Longbottom. That's what I'm worried about."

"We won't even notice they're gone, Professor," Harry said. "They'll be back in the blink of an eye. Quite literally. And Neville knew them back then, so his younger self, Luna and Ginny will be there to keep an eye on them."

McGonagall closed her eyes, as though asking herself if they were making the right choice. It was a difficult decision, Harry and Neville knew that much - to allow a group of minors who were supposed to be under her protection to travel back in time and get involved in something as dangerous as directly trying to fight Voldemort's thugs in Hogwarts during the 1997-1998 school year. But they also knew that McGonagall was wise enough to see that time in the Wizarding World wasn't but a circle that had to be completed, and so it didn't strike them as a surprise when the woman nodded her head and muttered, glancing briefly at Dumbledore's portrait,

"All right. Let's do it."


	2. Meet The Ensemble!

_**PROFESSOR NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM'S FILES**_

 _ **PROSPECTIVE TIME-TRAVELERS — 2018-1997 [TOP SECRET]**_

...

 **Magnolia "Maggie" Arsenau** : Sixth Year, Half-blood, Gryffindor. Born in Montpellier, France, but attends Hogwarts due to her English mother's wishes. She is loud and talkative, always moving and with her head dizzing with ideas and unexplored plans, which makes her an extremely fun person to be with — her moral compass streams directly from her heart, and it usually directs her to do whatever makes her happy, and never judges others for doing what their heart tells them to do as well. She can also be very receptive and understanding, though — she isn't one of those extroverts who get frustrated over introverts not sharing their interests, and although she doesn't really care about her grades at all she does understand how it can be important for others. She is confident, outgoing, street-smart, and not too fond of rules, which makes her rather likeable. Her NEWTs are Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures, and Ancient Runes.

 **Bernard "Bobby" Bay** : Sixth Year, Half-blood, Slytherin. Born in Portsmouth, England, to a Muggle mother and a wizard father who suffered from PSTD after the Second Wizarding War. A laid-back and easy-going boy, Bobby is usually friendly towards everyone, which isn't exactly common in his House. At first glance, it may seem as though he lacks any "important" skills — he is an all right student, but has never been any close to being top of his class, and he doesn't excel at sports or even dueling either, because he has never been great at magic altogether. He is deeply strategic and morally grey, due to the fact that he usually does things out of his own interest, but he is also perfectly capable of handling the more theoretical aspects of magic with an immense cleverness and resourcefulness. His easy-going nature has allowed him to befriend a fair amount of people within the castle's ground, and he is generally good at getting people to like him. His NEWTs are Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Potions, History of Magic, Charms, and Herbology.

 **Caroline Beilschmidt** : Seventh Year, Pureblood, Hufflepuff. Born in Southern Georgia, United States, to a father who comes from a rather conservative Pureblood family that came from Germany and owned several plantations in Southern Georgia during the twentieth century, and an equally Pureblood mother whose family was also fairly well-off. She is, in a nutshell, what one could call a _mother_. She is protective of her own friends, but also optimistic and willing to see the best in everyone, excelling at gluing all sorts of people together no matter how different they are. She is a calm person and a great listener, but also fiercely loyal, although she tends to avoid conflict and breaking rules unless the situation absolutely requires it, because she absolutely hates putting other people in danger and becomes extremely protective of pretty much everyone if they're threatened. She is a Prefect and her NEWTs are Charms, Herbology, Ancient Runes, History of Magic, Potions, and Care of Magical Creatures.

 **Nikolas "Niko" Fritz** : Sixth Year, Half-blood, Slytherin. Born in Munich, Germany, but moved to Dorset when his father, a Quidditch professional player, got transferred to Puddlemere United. An energetic and generally cheerful person, Niko isn't one to be seen sitting around quietly — he is, in fact, a very loud person, and loves voicing his thoughts and pulling jokes at others, which often makes him a rather likeable person. He can also be much calmer and manipulative, though — he is very capable of using intimidation to reach the goals he has set for himself, and won't hesitate if it comes to helping a friend out of a situation through morally questionable ways. His mother's passing when he was ten was, in fact, what made him become a louder and more extroverted person, using this newfound friendliness to shelter himself from the pain of having lost her. He is a Keeper and captain for the Slytherin Quidditch team, and his NEWTs are Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Transfiguration, and Astronomy.

 **Celine Godolpin** : Sixth Year, Half-blood, Ravenclaw. Born in London, England. Although she can come off as a rather aloof, sugary girl, Celine is in fact a very clever girl — she excels at most of her subjects and is usually held in high regard by her Professors because of her hard-working and perfectionist nature. Assertive and outspoken, she isn't one to keep her thoughts to herself, and tends to know how and when to express her ideas. She can also be extremely competitive, although she would never let it show — her goal is to always be the best at everything, and she isn't used to being second place due to her haughty, proud and endlessly hot-headed nature, which makes her an extremely polarizing person. In fact, she isn't one to have a very large amount of friends — she only lets a few people past her exterior shell, but when she does she's extremely loyal and supportive of them. Her NEWTs are Potions, Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, and Charms.

 **Alexander Ivanox** : Seventh Year, Half-blood, Hufflepuff. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, to a wizard father and a Muggle mother who taught him how to play the violin that he still carries wherever he goes. He is fairly easy-going, and even a little dreamy — there's a smile on his face most of the time, and he is usually one to see the bright side of things no matter how tough things get. There's a lot more to him than that, though — he usually hides his emotions and only reveals them in moments of severe weakness, which makes him extremely prone to trying to laugh his sadness off until it's too late. He is extremely loyal and has a strong sense of justice, which makes him a natural helper and also very selfless. He is a Chaser for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team and his NEWTs are Charms, Herbology, Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Alchemy, and Muggle Studies.

 **Elodie "Ellie" Kaiser** : Sixth Year, Muggle-born, Ravenclaw. Born in Bristol, England, to a Muggle family that owns a pub and supports her unconditionally. She is an extremely curious, smart, and resourceful girl who's known how to weave herself into the very fibres of the Wizarding world in spite of having grown up in a Muggle household. Analytical and clever, she is often one to look at things in an objective manner, but can also be described as slightly awkward and, perhaps, a little too aloof — but that's just the way she functions, being the introvert she is, and she'd rather hang out with a small group of friends than try to be popular, even though her Housemates tend to like her because of her cleverness and how she's always willing to help. She is a Prefect and her NEWTs are Charms, Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Herbology, and Ancient Runes.

 **Calvin Klauson** : Sixth Year, Pureblood, Slytherin. Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, to a very traditional Pureblood family that later moved to England. The fact that he was born and raised in a country where Voldemort's terror was nothing but a distant echo allowed him to be raised in a rather elitist household, being the only child of a very conservative couple. His magical skills, however, have often been defined as "underdeveloped", thus earning himself a fair amount of disregard from his parents since he was fairly young, and a rather strained relationship with both of them in spite of all his academic achievements. His lack of magical skills became, in fact, his greatest source of insecurity — and so he's been trying to patch it up by obsessively studying the more theoretical aspects of magic ever since he first got to school. He is clever, resourceful, curious by nature, and extremely talented at flying. He is a Prefect and a Seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team, and his NEWTs are Care of Magical Creatures, Herbology, Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Ancient Runes.

 **James "Jimmy" Marston** : Sixth Year, Muggle-born, Gryffindor. Born in Ripon, Yorkshire, in a middle-class Muggle household. He is pretty much the quintessential Gryffindor — extroverted, blunt, daring and extremely reckless, he has excelled at most of his practical classes since he first got to Hogwarts in spite of having grown up in a Muggle household. However, there is much more to him than that — under his extroverted façade lies a sixteen-year-old who is still trying to come to terms with his sexuality and some of his schoolmates' elitists comments. He's a skilled duelist and particularly good at Transfiguration — in fact, Professor McGonagall has taken quite a liking to him over the years in spite of having been rather prone to wreaking havoc around the castle with his closest friends ever since he first got there. He is a Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team and his NEWTs are Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, and Defence Against the Dark Arts.

 **Kanon Miyamoto** : Seventh Year, Muggle-born, Hufflepuff. Born in Tokyo, Japan, but moved to Manchester when she was little. She grew up under the tight grasp of a Muggle mother who refused to acknowledge her children's magical skills — for the Miyamoto family was graced with not only one, but four magical children. Kan can be described as the "Mom Friend", which means that she's extremely loyal and protective, and always willing to help whoever may come across her way — she even carries a backpack with an assortment of weird but surprisingly useful supplies wherever she goes. She's easy-going and usually well-liked, mainly because of how she always seems to be able to spur out words of kindness and support for pretty much anyone. There is an unhappier side to her that she usually tries to keep bottled up, though — she has been suffering from anxiety attacks and eating disorders ever since she was a little girl due to her mother's constant abuse. Her NEWTs are Arithmancy, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Ancient Runes, Charms, and Potions.

 **Thea Song** : Seventh Year, Half-blood, Gryffindor. Born in Los Angeles, California, but moved to England before her schooling began due to her father's job. Although she may come off as a happy-go-lucky, flouncy girl, she is actually very intelligent and perpetually curious, always willing to learn new things and analyzing the world that surrounds her — in fact, people tend to be surprised when they get to know her, because she is able to discuss a large amount of topics in spite of coming off as your average extroverted Gryffindor most of the time. In spite of this, she is also a rather insecure person, and she has a constant desire to prove herself due to how people typically perceive her at their first impression. She is, however, a very talented witch and a natural explorer, which has made her get to know the castle remarkably well. Her NEWTs are Charms, Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, and Potions.

 **Aileen "Lena" Tate** : Sixth Year, Half-blood, Slytherin. Born in Cairndow, Scotland. To call her witty would be an understatement — she pretty much functions through sarcasm and biting back at strangers who try to get her down. She's an incredibly talented witch and a top student who tends to spend a lot of time on her own, which has made her a fiercely independent young woman. She was in a car accident with her family when she was nine, which took her ability to hear and left her deaf — however, she has been able to overcome her impairment by learning BSL and growing used to reading lips. Her family is incredibly supportive of her, both regarding her deafness and her sexual orientation, and she's fiercely loyal to them. Her NEWTs are Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, and Alchemy.

 **Brooklyn Taylor** : Sixth Year, Half-blood, Ravenclaw. Born in London, England, to a wizard father — who passed away when she was eight — and a Muggle mother. She is a shy and soft-spoken person, but also incredibly clever — she is one of the best students in her year, and excels at both practical and theoretical subjects, having managed to get mostly Outstanding on her O.W.L.s. She isn't one to boast about it, though — she is extremely humble and full of doubts, so she tends to dismiss her own merits and merely focus on accomplishing her goals, which makes her a perfect team-worker, although she usually prefers to stay within a smaller group of close friends. Her NEWTs are Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, History of Magic, and Transfiguration.

 **Simon Wright** : Sixth Year, Muggle-born, Ravenclaw. Born in Canterbury, England, to a single mother who later re-married and had three more children. A soft-spoken, introverted boy that still feels a certain detachment from the Wizarding world in spite of having been a part of it ever since he sent his mother's favourite silverware flying through the window at age seven. Because of his lack of ties with the world that most of his friends have grown up in, Simon is usually one to be found surrounding himself with Muggle culture — he loves reading classic novels and listening to his favourite bands on his iPod. In spite of this, he has managed to befriend a few fellow students, who would define him as clever, friendly, hard-working, creative and deeply idealistic. His NEWTs are Astronomy, Ancient Runes, History of Magic, Charms, and Arithmancy.

* * *

 _So . . . yes, I ended up accepting way more OC's than I originally planned to. But hey, the more the merrier, right? Anyway, I'm really excited about this story – so I'm gonna try and write the first proper chapter asap! As for this mini-introduction – I hope it served its purpose (aka for the rest of you authors to get acquainted with the main ensemble)! Please PM me if you feel like any of these characters could be a potential partner/friend/enemy for your OC – I've already got a couple of things planned out, but it's always super helpful to know what you guys think about it!_


	3. The Headmistress's Office

_i'm waking up, i feel it in my bones_  
 _enough to make my systems blow_  
 _welcome to the new age, to the new age_

 **radioactive - imagine dragons**

* * *

She first realized that something was off during the Welcoming Feast.

There was something about how McGonagall had delivered her speech, glancing at Professor Longbottom a lot more than she normally would. Their Herbology Professor nodded quietly at her every time, which made Elodie's brows arch. She knew they were close — as close as two Hogwarts professors could be — but McGonagall had never been one to acknowledge a particular importance in the young Herbology Professor that she had decided to hire after Professor Sprout retired, only a few years after the end of the Second Wizarding War. So why did it suddenly seem as though he had become their Headmistress's crutch, supporting her words as though she needed validation?

"There's something strange going on, Brooke," she whispered to her friend, who was sitting right next to her. Brooklyn's brownish eyebrows rose, and Elodie added quickly, "She's never acted like this before."

"Perhaps she's just worried about the upcoming Triwizard Tournament," replied Brooklyn. "I don't think she's all too fond of — "

Before she could finish, a Fourth Year student made a shushing noise and glared at them from the other side of the table. He was sitting right next to their other friend, Simon, whose cheeks had turned a blotchy red at the boy's gesture, in spite of not being involved in the conversation at all.

"Hey, don't shush me," muttered Elodie, a gleam of anger in her eyes. "I'm a Prefect."

"Let's just discuss this later, El," whispered Simon. Elodie snorted when she realized he was still wearing his brand new Arctic Monkeys t-shirt under his Ravenclaw cloak — courtesy of the gig the three of them had been to over the summer, in an attempt to introduce Brooklyn to the Muggle music that Simon still listened to on a daily basis. Their friend, though, hadn't quite gotten the point of going to a concert where the artists didn't fly around while playing a hexed guitar, and thought that the _mise-en-scène_ was generally, quoting the girl's words, "quite dull".

"All right, all right. Sorry."

Simon's expression seemed to relax when their food began apparating in front of them, and even smiled a little as he helped himself to some roast beef and a seemingly excessive amount of mashed potatoes. Brooklyn, who didn't seem half as worked up about McGonagall's speech as Elodie was, happily helped herself to a pork chop and sauce.

"You know what," she said happily, as she munched on the meat. "I missed you two, but the food's definitely the best thing about being back in school."

"Jolly, thanks," replied Elodie, rolling her eyes. "Hope your belly's satisfied and everything."

"It really is, thank you very much," her friend chuckled in response. Elodie elbowed her, an amused expression on her face, and Brooklyn replied with a fake annoyed voice, "Oi, Kaiser! Watch your elbow!"

"Sod off, Taylor," she laughed in response. She then glanced towards the Professors' table, in an attempt to shake the bad feeling she had gotten about their two Professors during McGonagall's speech. However, her pulse quickened when she realized that both their Headmistress and their Herbology Professor were looking at the three of them — it wasn't too obvious, or too direct, but she knew they were looking directly at them. She gulped quietly and gazed down at her plate, feeling slightly overwhelmed. When she looked up again, they both seemed to be looking elsewhere.

"Is everything all right, El?" Simon asked. Her best friend's mouth was smeared with sauce, which made her chuckle in spite of the uneasy feeling that was growing in her gut.

"Yeah," she mumbled, a little too unsure of what to say. She glanced at Professor Longbottom again, and then shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I'm just nervous about the new school year, that's all."

"Me too," her friend replied, a kind smile on his face. "N.E.W.T.-level classes sound scary as hell, don't they?"

"Says the boy who got straight O's in his O.W.L.s," retorted Brooklyn. In spite of her tone, there was a gentle smile on her face — the three of them were among the best students of their year, but none of them fit into the jealous, competitive Ravenclaw stereotype. Simon excelled at Astronomy and History of Magic, whereas Brooklyn had always been the best student in their Charms class and was, in fact, hoping to become a teacher of the subject when she graduated. As for Elodie, she was great at Ancient Runes and Potions, so the three of them had found a way to help each other out over the course of the years without ever feeling threatened or demeaned by their best friends' skills — which wasn't an uncommon issue within their House.

"Whatever, I'm still scared shitless," insisted Simon.

"Oh, _do_ shut up, Simon," Elodie said, a friendly tone in her voice. "You'll do just fine. Even better than fine, actually."

"Fine. I just hope I don't, well, collapse in stress before I actually get to sit the exams. That'd be a waste of time."

"And there's Mr. Simon Wright, always the optimist," Brooklyn giggled, shaking her head.

Elodie laughed, shaking her head. She really did love her two best friends — she had spent quite a number of holidays at the Wrights', and the Taylors had been welcoming enough so as to take their daughter's Muggleborn friends with them to the Quidditch World Cup at the end of their third year. They had become a second family to her, and Elodie couldn't feel happier about it — they were her siblings in the Wizarding world, with Brooklyn's stubborn attitude towards their schoolwork and Simon's quirks always brightening her day.

And that, after all, was what mattered the most.

* * *

"Hey, Marston, wait up!"

Maggie couldn't help but grin when her best friend opened his arms and enveloped her in a tight hug, even lifting her off the ground a little. They hadn't really seen each other that day — Maggie had barely made it in time to the train, and he had been hanging out with his Quidditch teammates most of the time, so they had only caught brief glances of each other during the Welcoming Feast. It wasn't like they hadn't seen each other since June, though — Jimmy had spent a good portion of their summer holidays with her and her family in Montpellier, where they had spent the most amazing summer lounging around her parents' villa and driving to La Grande-Motte, where they'd spend days on end sunbathing by the sea and hanging out with Maggie's French friends. Jimmy had even gone as far as hooking up with the cute Muggle barista from the Starbucks that they usually went to — a boy called Timothée that Maggie spent the entire summer gushing about, but that ultimately became nothing but one of Jimmy's temporary flings.

"How did the train ride go?" the boy asked, a bright smile on his face. He was always smiles and kindness around her — which made those who didn't know them that well think that they were a couple when, in truth, Jimmy was like a brother to her. "I hung out with Willow and Rajeet most of the time, but I kept wondering where you were."

"Oh, don't worry about it," she said with a dismissive gesture. "I just sat with a couple of First Years and showed them around and such. They were actually really fun — one of them got sorted into Gryffindor, I think. I might try and find her later. You know, I feel like I could be a good mentor. Or something like that."

"Yeah, if she wants to get into trouble since day one," Jimmy chuckled. Maggie feigned a shocked face, and he just shook his head and laughed. "I hate to be that person, Mags, but I'm not entirely sure whether you'd be a good influence on an eleven-year-old."

"Hey! I sure was one on you back when we were little," she retorted as they both reached the Gryffindor common room. "I mean, sure, we got into trouble a _teensy_ little bit more than we should have, but we did have tons of fun. Didn't we?"

"Yeah, we sure as hell did." Jimmy flopped onto a couch and grinned happily at the sight of most of their Housemates casually chatting around the fireplace, mostly catching up after a couple of months apart. He waved at a lot of them and even high-fived a few of his Quidditch teammates — he and Maggie were on the more popular side of their House, and he had always loved getting caught up in conversations with even the most distant person in their common room.

"So . . . " Maggie said tentatively, taking a seat next to him. "Did you send Timothée one of those Muggle messages?"

"Nah," Jimmy shook his head and shrugged a little. "I mean, he was cool enough, but I don't know. He's _French_ , Mags." When his friend smacked his shoulder, he laughed heartily and carefully smacked her back with a pillow. "What? You people are okay for a hook-up, but I don't want his . . . French drama to take over my entire life."

"So that's all I am to you? A _hook-up_?" Maggie placed a hand on her chest, sucking in a rather dramatic breath. "James Marston, I cannot believe this. I thought I meant something more to you."

"You, my dear, are much more than a hook-up," Jimmy squeezed her rosy cheeks with his hand and scrunched his nose at her, not unlike her older brothers did when she was home. "You're my partner in crime."

"Well, now I'm flattered," the girl grinned at him, and poked at his nose happily before leaning back on the couch. "You know, I really am glad to be back."

"Yeah, me too. I mean, Yorkshire's just _too much_."

"Too much as in too overwhelming?"

"No, Merlin's sake. Too much as in _completely and utterly underwhelming_. Most of my Primary school friends are either too busy studying for their A-Levels or, like, pretty much stoned half of the time."

"All right," the girl laughed, shaking her head. "I've no idea what that means."

Jimmy clicked his tongue. "Ah, you kids who grew up in the Wizarding world will never know the experience of smoking a — " The boy's voice faltered when he noticed that their Head teacher, Professor Longbottom, was standing by the window and, upon catching the sandy-haired student's eyes, quietly made his way towards them as a few students shuffled out of his way.

"Uh-oh," he said quietly, his brow furrowing ever so lightly.

"What?" Maggie asked, confused, but then bit her lower lip when she realized what her best friend meant. "Oh, _merde_."

"James. Magnolia," Professor Longbottom said, in a cautious tone. "Could you please come with me?"

* * *

"Merlin's sake, what could Professor McGonagall _want_ from us at eleven in the night," mumbled Niko, quietly stifling a yawn.

Lena and Calvin exchanged glances. _To be fair, I'm just as worried as he is_ , the girl signaled, to which Calvin sighed and shrugged his shoulders quietly. _Nothing to worry about, I suppose_ , he signaled back. _We haven't done anything wrong_.

Bobby shuffled behind them, a slight crease on his brow. He knew that there was nothing to worry about, obviously, but he still couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Their Head Professor had fetched them from their common room just a few minutes ago, and they were all now on their way to the Headmistress's office — he supposed Niko and Calvin could be involved in some Quidditch-related meeting, but what about him and Lena? The girl and Bobby weren't exactly friends, but they'd been Housemates for nearly six years now — and as far as he knew, neither of them were involved in any significant academic or sportive activities, other than their day-to-day classes.

"Maybe there's something wrong with our new classes?" He offered finally, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know, perhaps Professor Slughorn has decided that he's not allowing students with a grade lower than E to take his N.E.W.T.-level course. Which would be absolute tosh, but oh well."

"Why would they choose to tell us at _eleven in the night_ , though?" replied Niko. "Something like that could definitely wait till tomorrow, y'know."

 _I don't think it's got anything to do with academics_ , signaled Lena, raising her eyebrows towards Calvin.

 _Me neither_ , he signaled back. He then said added out loud, for the other two Slytherins to hear, "I'm sure it'll be fine."

When the four of them got to the Headmistress's office, they were surprised to find another girl standing in front of the colossal eagle that was to let them through. She was in the year above them (Bobby was quick to point that out in a faint whisper), and wore a red-and-gold tie over her uniform shirt, which made them all assume that she was, in fact, a Gryffindor.

"Hey," Niko said casually, which didn't come as a surprise to the other three — he was, after all, the more extroverted member of their newfound group. "You here on McGonagall's request, too?"

"Yeah," the girl replied, nodding her head. "Professor Longbottom came looking for me earlier, apparently, but I stayed behind to catch up with a few friends who aren't in my House, so he just asked one of my roommates to tell me to come here as soon as possible. And, well, here I am. I'm Thea, by the way."

"Uh, Bobby, Calvin, Niko, and Lena," Bobby replied quickly, signaling towards his Housemates as the other three nodded at her in an acknowledging gesture. "And yeah, us too. Professor Slughorn told us that, and I quote, _Professor McGonagall required our immediate presence_."

"That sounds like something Slughorn would say, yes," the girl smiled. There was something about her that made Bobby feel at ease — she was just so _casual_ , in every sense. The way she tied her hair up in a bun as she spoke and simply let it fall in the most gracious of ways . . . who could _do_ that, anyway? It was hard to judge someone from such a brief exchange, but he could easily picture her being one of the most well-liked girls in her Year.

"So, uh, how are we supposed to get upstairs?" he asked, glancing at the apparently sealed entrance. "I've never been here before."

"Oh, I have," Calvin said calmly. "We're supposed to use the password — which is _chocolate éclair_ as of right now, I think."

" _Chocolate éclair_? As in the French dessert?" Thea replied, giggling a little. Bobby raised his eyebrows when he realized she had said _dessert_ instead of _pudding_. Her accent was mostly English, but there were little things in it that reminded him of how Americans spoke.

"Yeah, apparently," Calvin replied, perhaps a little curtly. Bobby and Calvin weren't exactly _friends_ , but they had gotten to know each other fairly well over the course of the years — and so he knew perfectly well that his Danish roommate wasn't exactly one to waste time on small talk. He watched carefully as the boy placed himself in front of the giant gargoyle and stated the password with a clear tone. Within a few seconds the statue revealed itself to be the beginning of a sturdy, perfectly kept staircase, which ascended up to the Headmistress's Office.

"Well, we'd better hurry," Calvin said, tilting his head towards the staircase. "They must be waiting for us."

Bobby nodded quietly and followed the other four students as they made their way upstairs.

"I do have a bad feeling about this, you know," he muttered quietly.

* * *

Caroline had always been a good student. Loyal, hard-working, and exceptionally caring of other students, she embodied the perfect Hufflepuff in a lot of ways — but she had never expected to wind up in a situation like the one that unfolded as soon as she arrived at the Headmistress's Office along with her two best friends, Kanon and Alex.

The room was completely empty, except for a girl that she quickly identified as a Ravenclaw from the Year below them, who sat in a puff chair with a rather absentminded expression. The room had been arranged for a group of people to sit around the Headmistress's table — Caroline had been in her office several times due to her Prefect duties, but she had never been offered a seat before. She observed how Alex and Kanon approached the girl and asked her if she'd been told to come over by her Head Professor too, always in their usual amiable tone. The girl, who introduced herself as Celine, replied that Professor Flitwick had told her to come to the Headmistress's office as soon as possible, but that she had no clue about what she could possibly want from her, although she seemed to hint that it might have something to do with McGonagall wanting her to take more advanced classes due to her outstanding performance in her O.W.L.s. Caroline rolled her eyes in silence — she hated being assuming, but there was something about the girl's tone that made it hard for her to empathize with her.

A few minutes later, they were joined by other three Ravenclaws, who greeted Celine in a cordial way and introduced themselves as Brooklyn, Simon, and Elodie — Caroline knew the latter from their Prefect meetings, but hadn't really talked to her before. The three of them seemed to be a lot more reserved than Celine, but nevertheless made an effort to comment on how strange it was for their Head teachers to come fetch them at eleven in the night on their first night back in school, especially when they came from different Houses and had had little to no contact with each other before. They were soon followed by a group of Slytherins and a Gryffindor, Thea Song, who greeted Caroline happily — they had been Potions partners back in their Fourth Year, and in spite of not having been exactly close after that, the Hufflepuff still had fond memories of the fun, hard-working and extremely smart girl who had earned them straight O's towards the end of the Year.

The last ones to arrive were a couple of Sixth Year Gryffindors, escorted by Professor Longbottom. Caroline frowned, but said nothing — Professor Longbottom was known for his clumsy but nevertheless amiable manners, but the look on his face as he motioned for the fourteen of them to take a seat was, if anything, slightly somber.

"Is anything the matter, Professor Longbottom?" asked Kanon in her usual soft tone.

"Of course something's the matter," Calvin scoffed quietly. "We're in the bloody Headmistress's office at half past eleven in the night."

"Fuck's sake, will these Slytherins ever stop being pure _arseholes_ ," the Gryffindor boy mumbled, which made his friend stifle a laugh.

"All right, I think that's quite enough," Professor Longbottom said in a rough tone that came off as a surprise to most of the students. He had never been a teacher known to snap back at students unless they were being exceedingly rude, and even in those occasions he was usually one to defer to written punishments and afternoons stuck in Filch's office instead of verbally coercing his students into silence. "I — well, I'm not entirely sure how to phrase this, but you've been gathered here for a reason. Mind you, it's not a bad reason, you lot shouldn't think you're in trouble — but well, it might still shock you to learn why Professor McGonagall and I have chosen the fourteen of you for this."

"But what's _this_ , Professor Longbottom?" Elodie asked cautiously. "I mean, I — I feel like something's off here. Most of us don't even know each other, and the school year has literally just begun. We had a Prefects meeting earlier tonight — " her brow furrowed when Celine, sitting next to her, scoffed a little. " — and well, I just don't understand what can possibly be so wrong so as to have our Head teacher fetch us in the middle of the night and bring us here."

"I'm aware of how off all of this may seem to you, Miss Kaiser," Professor Longbottom acknowledged. "But Professor McGonagall and I decided that it would be best to remain as secretive as possible about it. After all, what I'm about to tell you must be kept in the utmost secrecy — whether you choose to accept or decline our offer, we must ask you to remain as silent as possible about it. Which means your friends, family and Housemates can never know about it, because it might get the school and our Headmistress in severe trouble."

"What do you mean, Professor?" one of the Slytherin boys asked.

Professor Longbottom eyed each and everyone of them, and then took a breath before saying the words that would slowly send the fourteen students' lives spiraling to a whole — quite literally — new period.

"We need you to go back in time and pose as Hogwarts students. In 1997. There is something that escaped us who were students back then and that could have a fatal impact in the course of the war if you don't stop it."

* * *

 _Dun dun dun! That's some cool cliffhanger right there, huh? Anyway, there's the first chapter. Please let me know how you feel about it! I really want to know if I'm getting your characters right, or if I'm completely sucking at it._


	4. We're Fighting, Right?

_but you lit the fire_  
 _you the fire that burns_  
 _the fire that burns inside us_

 **fire that burns - circa waves**

* * *

"Back in time. What the _fuck_."

Muggle swearing was rather uncommon in Hogwarts. After all, eleven-year-olds weren't exactly known for having foul mouthes, and most of the Muggle-borns tended to grow accustomed to the Wizarding World's basic swear words by the time they became old enough to use them. But that was exactly what came out of Simon Wright's mouth, of all people — a big fat Muggle swear word.

"I, er, appreciate your emphasis, Mr. Wright," Professor Longbottom said, his eyebrows rising ever so lightly. "But yes, back in time. I don't intend to bother you with the details but — well, Professor McGonagall and I have decided that we should let you think about it for a couple of days — but you must leave as soon as possible after that, once we know how many of you are on board."

The room was instantly filled with a ceaseless noise, a humdrum collection of voices and worried questions that made it impossible for Professor Longbottom to understand what most of them said. Simon clenched his wrist and pressed it against his lips in the most thoughtful manner, while his two best friends chose to half-hysterically mumble how insane this all was. The four Slytherins sitting behind them couldn't even begin to phrase their thoughts, whereas Maggie's incessant questions resonated all around the room. Thea just sat on her puff chair, looking absolutely perplexed, and to say that Caroline and Kanon's responsible instincts had momentarily been suspended would have been an understatement — they were both formulating questions to each other, worriedly going over the things their Herbology Professor had just said.

" _Silence_."

And, indeed, all fourteen students fell silent when the Headmistress's stern expression appeared through the door. Professor McGonagall had not become any less intimidating with age — in fact, there was something about the folds underneath her eyes that made her face even more distinguished, in spite of the former Transfiguration Professor's inner fondness for most of her students. She was a demanding teacher and a rigid person, but most of them knew that deep down she was a truly exceptional and understanding witch. However, by the time she was standing in front of them, her expression a lot firmer than Professor Longbottom's, most of them couldn't help but feel a little _scared_.

"This is a very serious issue," she said, her tone even more draconian than usual. "We know that we are asking a lot from you, but there really is no other way out of this, I'm afraid. Professor Longbottom and I have discussed it through, and shipping you off to 1997 for a full year may seem excessive and a bit daunting, but there's nothing else we can do. The war's very outcome is at stake."

"For a _whole year_?" Alex asked, his tone quivering. "What are we supposed to do there for an entire year, Professor?"

"As far as we're concerned, Voldemort managed to infiltrate a Death Eater captation network in the school during that year," explained Professor Longbottom. "Of course, some of the students were already quite close to his circles — having Death Eater parents and siblings, or having become Death Eaters themselves, even. But this was something entirely new — a group of unidentified Slytherin students were to recruit as many students as possible, because Voldemort wanted to cover his own back if a big battle were to take place."

"The Battle of Hogwarts," Simon mused, furrowing his brow.

"Exactly, Mr. Wright," McGonagall said. "The Battle of Hogwarts did indeed take place, and our students played an essential part in it. Had it not been for a few of them, the war might have ended very differently," she briefly glanced towards Professor Longbottom, who shrugged his shoulders in a humble gesture. "At any rate, I'm afraid I recently came to realize that the students who dismantled said network came, in fact, from the year 2018, and had been sent back by myself and Professor Longbottom. This was kept in the utmost secrecy, obviously — not even the Ministry got to know about it. And that is precisely why we are now demanding you to consider helping the entire Wizarding World out."

"But can't more experienced wizards go back instead of us?" Elodie asked, her brow creased.

"No, they can't, if we want to get to the very root of the problem," Professor Longbottom sighed. "The idea is that by infiltrating yourselves in the school you'll be able to figure it all out within a few months. When the job's done, you'll get to come home and not a single second will have gone by — so you needn't worry about your family and friends wondering where you went."

"So you're asking us to go back in time to a _war_ ," Celine said slowly, her eyebrows rising at their Herbology Professor. "To dismantle a network that has been organized by _You-Know-Who himself_ , and somehow make it back _alive_? The fourteen of us? That's just not — well, realistic, statistically speaking."

" _Statistically speaking_ ," mimicked Jimmy under his breath. When Celine glared at him, he shrugged his shoulders and replied simply, "What? I mean, I'm in. If there's something I can do about the shithole that the last war was, well, count me in."

"Me too," Maggie added quickly, nodding her head to her friend's words.

"Well, the fact that we're all here _does_ imply that we managed to figure it all out, right?" Simon asked in a soft tone. "I mean, I've read a bit about the Second Wizarding War, and there is no mention of a noteworthy Death Eater captation network in our school. Which means that we managed to bring them down before the Battle of Hogwarts, doesn't it?"

"Yes, Mr. Specks has a point there," Maggie nodded enthusiastically, which caused Simon's cheeks to turn a blotchy red.

"I — I mean," the boy mumbled. "I'm in too, I guess."

Brooklyn and Elodie exchanged surprised glances. Their friend wasn't exactly the adventurous type, and going back in time to 1997 wasn't _exactly_ a calm thing to do on a Sunday evening while drinking his Earl Grey and listening to The Clash.

"I'd have to think about it," Brooklyn admitted in her usual quiet tone. "I — I don't feel like I'm good enough for this sort of task, anyway."

"We did handpick the fourteen of you, Miss Taylor," McGonagall said, a kind edge to her words. "Don't belittle yourself."

Now it was Brooklyn's turn to blush. Elodie, however, looked a lot less convinced by their Headmistress's words — there were a lot of risks to be taken into account after all. Behind them, Caroline shifted on her seat uncomfortably, while Kanon seemed to weigh the pros and cons of it in a quiet tone. Alex, on the other hand, was a lot less hesitant about it.

"I mean, if it's what we're meant to do," he shrugged, eyeing his two friends. "We must've been sent back for a reason, right? I mean, back when you — well, you decided to send us back the first time, Professor. And, like Simon said, we must've been successful if the Wizarding World's still intact. Right?"

"That doesn't mean that there couldn't have been any casualties," Caroline mumbled, shaking her head a little. "I mean, yes, suppose we succeed. But we have no clue whether all fourteen of us will make it back alive from a _warzone_."

"Besides, wouldn't everyone be surprised if fourteen teenagers appeared out of nowhere and claimed to have been Hogwarts students since, I don't know, 1991?" questioned Calvin. In spite of the situation, he still managed to keep his cool tone.

"That wouldn't be an issue, Mr. Klauson," Professor McGonagall said. "You're wizards, aren't you? Think about it."

"Memory spells," Bobby mused quietly. His eyebrows rose at their Headmistress in a gesture of disbelief. "Surely you can't expect us to hex the entire school, do you? We'd have to trick _teachers_ into thinking that we've been attending their — well, _your_ , actually — classes for years when they won't even know us."

"The fact that you're beginning to come up with the details yourselves says a lot about our choices already, Mr. Bay," Professor Longbottom did a small smile, almost invisible to the rest of the students. "But you don't need to worry about that. Individual memory spells will be needed from time to time, yes, but I believe you learned a few of those with Professor Flitwick for your O.W.L.s. Some of you may even have more advanced notions on them," he tilted his head towards Lena, who did a sheepish smile and nodded her head. "But the core of it won't require individual spells to be cast on every single person in the castle."

"But how would we do that?" asked Caroline, her expression still slightly uneasy. "We're talking about people who were among _Voldemort's_ ranks. The Carrows. Severus Snape. Surely they'd notice anyway?"

"Not if we do it right, no," McGonagall replied. She then placed a hand on Professor Longbottom's shoulder, in a gesture that came off as affectionate — somewhat motherly, even. "Professor Longbottom has been working for years on this, and I think we have finally figured out how to make it work. There's a potion — well, an _essence_ , I'd call it — that Professor Slughorn helped us develop with some of Professor Longbottom's rarest plants, and that should inebriate whoever is around you into believing they've known you for a long, long time — that is to say, you would be able to pretend to be students there for as long as you may need. We will obviously provide you with the recipe and, knowing that a couple of you are quite skilled in Potions, I'm absolutely sure you will be able to handle it."

"The only thing you need to do is dab a bit of it on your neck, hands and forehead every morning," Professor Longbottom explained. "I've prepared a fair amount of it for the first few days, but after that you'll need to prepare more on your own. Getting in touch with my younger self would be really helpful, though. He — _I_ , I mean — will be able to fetch the ingredients from the greenhouses, which should make things a lot easier."

Some of the students nodded at Professor Longbottom's explanation. A few others simply remained silent, staring at their shoes or glancing at their friends with equally concerned expressions.

"So," Kanon said cautiously. "How are we supposed to _get_ to 1997, anyhow?"

Professor McGonagall did a half-crooked smile and nodded. "That's a very good point you've brought up, Miss Miyamoto. I suppose most of you already know what happened to most time-turners after the Second Wizarding War — they got destroyed by the Ministry, and as far as I can tell very few of them survived the Department of Magical Law Enforcement's scavenger hunt."

"But time-turners wouldn't work, anyway," Professor Longbottom continued. "After all, we're aiming for a twenty-one-year trip back in time for all fourteen of you, and only a very powerful and specific object could do that. We have therefore managed to jinx a certain mirror in the Room of Requirement that will allow you to travel back in time directly to King's Cross on September 1st, 1997 — sort of like a portal, I'd say. You shall board the Hogwarts Express and begin your investigation there."

"That does make sense," Kanon admitted quietly. The girl bit her inner cheek and added, in a more hesitant tone, "But our families wouldn't have to know about it, right? I mean — my parents are Muggles and probably wouldn't understand the situation, but still — "

"Well, _I_ think our parents should know about it," Elodie said, frowning. "What if something happened to one of us? What if we don't all make it back entirely unscathed? How would we — you — explain that, Professor?"

"That's something that may happen, Miss Kaiser," McGonagall admitted, nodding towards the Ravenclaw in acknowledgement. "And that's why I'm not entirely sure whether we should go through this. But Professor Longbottom and Mr. Potter thought that there really was no other way out — "

"Mr. Potter?" asked Jimmy, his eyes going wide. "You mean Harry Potter? _The_ Harry Potter, the bloke who wiped Voldemort out?"

"Yes, Mr. Wright, that _is_ the only Mr. Potter that I could be possibly talking about in this context," McGonagall said, shaking her head a little. "He has had a key role in all this, and he is more than willing to help as a counseling figure if any of you were to need assistance of any kind."

"Whoa, that'd be so wicked," Jimmy mused, a grin spreading across his face.

"I'm not sure that's the word," Calvin scoffed, crossing his arms. Ignoring the glare that the Gryffindor immediately shot towards him, he shrugged his shoulders ever so lightly and simply said, "I'm in, too." He even smiled in a rather self-conscious manner when he noticed how Jimmy's eyebrows rose in surprise — they weren't much more than acquaintances, but Calvin knew that the Gryffindor didn't hold most Slytherins in high regard — especially him, coming from an upper-class, conservative Pureblood family.

"If Cal's in, I'm in, too," Niko said decisively, nodding his head.

"Me too," Lena croaked quietly. Even though she could speak verbally, her deafness had made her grow more accustomed to communicating via BSL; that, added to her reserved nature, made those who weren't close to her ignore the fact that she could communicate through speech. A few of the students whirled around in surprise — which made her rise her chin in a rather defiant way, as though defying them to make one of those half-hearted comments about how her speaking was "great" in spite of "her situation".

"This is _insane_ ," Caroline declared finally. Her arms were still firmly wrapped around her chest and her cheeks had turned a blotchy red, making her look a lot more serious than her usual self. "You can't just act like sending fourteen teenagers straight into a warzone is literally the most common thing to do. Of _course_ the goddamn Ministry is gonna be against it! Of course our parents are gonna go berserk if they ever find out that we're going back in time to fight _Death Eaters_! Right, Kanon?" The girl glanced towards her best friend, who had a more hesitant expression on her face. When the girl shrugged her shoulders awkwardly, Caroline snorted and shook her head. "I can't believe anyone would be so willing to put a bunch of _kids_ in danger."

"I am _not_ 'willing to put a bunch of kids in danger', Miss Beilschmidt," McGonagall replied sharply, a stern expression setting on her face. "I am very much aware of the fact that you are all still students, and that only a few of you have come of age. But it really is the only way we can get this done without raising any suspicion. We _need_ you to do this, and I would completely understand it if some of you declined our offer — it really isn't an offer because you're getting nothing in return, not even a minimum acknowledgement. I do understand that it is a lot to ask from a group of children, but please keep in mind that it was also _children_ for the most part that helped us win the last war. Professor Longbottom, Mr. Potter, and many others — several of whom gave their lives in an attempt to save the Wizarding World as we know it today — saw their youth wretched and manipulated by the course of the war, and while I do not wish that on anyone, I feel like it is quite essential that those of you who agree to help accept that you are going to see cruel, distasteful things. But you must always keep in mind that it _got better_ , that we all managed to defeat You-Know . . . Voldemort, and that you're just as capable of standing against him and his followers as _they_ were back then."

Caroline sucked a breath in after McGonagall's speech and leaned back on her chair, perhaps a little awkwardly. "I mean — it's not the same thing."

"But it is," Kanon mused, still feeling slightly self-conscious. She wasn't used to voicing her thoughts in a room full of strangers, but something seemed to get ahold of her as she spoke. "We — well, I don't know most of you very well, but I really do think it could work."

"Thank you, Miss Miyamoto," Professor Longbottom said in a kind tone, offering the girl a soft smile. He then cleared his throat and said, "Feel free to mull it around for a couple of days. The portal isn't quite ready yet, but I've already arranged the rest of it. You'll be taking small trunks with you, carrying old textbooks — which have been kindly given to us by a few of my former classmates — and whatever personal items you may need, along with a birth certificate for each and every one of you that certifies you were all born in 1980 or 1981 and are, at least, Half-bloods, given the tight prosecution that Muggle-borns suffered at the time. You will board the train, attend the Welcoming Feast, and contact my younger self as soon as possible — without revealing the true origin of your mission, obviously. You're to attend your classes as you usually would, and to pay special attention to any unusual activities that may be going on, both inside and outside the castle."

A few of the students nodded their heads. Others still shuffled on their seats awkwardly — Celine seemed to have taken the most earnest interest in her neatly polished nails, whereas Elodie and Brooklyn still exchanged concerned whispers from time to time. Bobby's easy-going expression had subdued to a more serious one, and Caroline still seemed adamant about her thoughts on the whole mission.

It was Thea who broke the silence. "I guess I'm in too."

"I'd have to think about it," Bobby admitted, in a rather awkward tone. He felt Niko's eyes on him, but he simply shook his head a little. "I get that it's important for the Wizarding World and all, but — well, it's a huge risk, I don't know."

"I still don't understand how we're supposed to deceive _Death Eaters_ ," Celine added. "And the _Carrows_. Weren't they, like, insane or something? I heard they tortured their students and stuff like that."

"Yeah, and stuff like that," Professor Longbottom repeated quietly. The teacher's voice had gone a lot rawer, and he cleared his throat quietly before adding. "It is your choice to be made, obviously. We felt like a group of fourteen students would be an adequate number, but we could do with a couple less. Every single one of you would contribute to the team's efficient in a different way, though — if it were up to me, I wouldn't dispense with any of you."

"So I'm guessing there's no moral way out of this, right?" Elodie said thoughtfully. The girl ran a nervous hand through her hair, and then exhaled before adding, "I suppose I'd have to agree, even though I don't know how we're going to do this."

"It'll come naturally to you," Professor Longbottom said with a kind smile. "You're among the best witches and wizards in the school, and the fact that we chose you implies that, even if your grades aren't as brilliant as other students', you've been appointed instead of them because they lack a talent that is very visible in you."

Their Herbology Professor's words made Brooklyn smile and, ever so meekly, nod her head in agreement. "All right. I'm in, too."

Alex and Kanon glanced at Caroline with a somewhat pleading expression, which made the girl's expression soften. When Kanon poked her side, she even giggled a little. "All right, all right. I guess I'll have to suck it up and see how it goes."

"C'mon, Bob, it'll be fun," Niko said to his friend, offering him a toothy grin. When the other boy shuffled on his seat, still visibly hesitant, he patted his shoulder in a more brotherly way. "We'll be there for each other. And Calvin will, too. Right, Cal?"

"If I must," Calvin replied brisky, although a faint smile appeared on his face as he patted Bobby's shoulder. "We _could_ make a good team, you know."

 _Yeah, these airheads could do with some theoretical knowledge from you two_ , Lena offered with a kind smile. When Bobby signaled something along the lines of _You're the best_ , she smiled broadly and shook her head in a humble gesture.

"Okay," Bobby said finally, shrugging his shoulders. "Count me in."

"Wait, so now _I'm_ the only one who still thinks this is _bollocks_?" Celine protested, shaking her head. "I mean, I — well — agh, whatever. We're probably gonna get killed or tortured or hexed or punished or even framed by the Ministry, but whatever. Just keep me in mind for the Head Girl position next year, will you?"

"That we will, Miss Godolpin," Professor McGonagall said, a small smile on her face. "Well, that settles it. I thought it would take a lot more convincing for the fourteen of you to agree — not with you, Mr. Marston, I knew you'd be willing to get in trouble since the beginning — but yes, that does say a lot about Professor Longbottom's criteria."

"I shall meet you all at the Great Hall in three days, at two in the morning," Professor Longbottom said. "You'll be leaving then, so please bring your belongings with you. And I can't stress this enough, but — _please_ don't mention this to your family or friends. It is _very_ important to keep this in the utmost privacy." When all fourteen students nodded in agreement, the Herbology Professor sighed. "All right then. That's it for now — go get some sleep and I'll see you all in a few days."

As if on cue, McGonagall turned around and disappeared through the very same door that she'd appeared from a few minutes earlier, and the students slowly began to stand up and yawn a few tired _goodnights_ to Professor Longbottom before leaving the office. The Ravenclaws were the first ones to leave, with Simon hurriedly whispering something about how he needed to get some rest if he intended to stay awake during Professor Binns's class the following day, and they were quickly followed by the Hufflepuffs. Jimmy and Maggie, still looking visibly excited about the mission, waved goodbye to the others and strutted down the stairs happily, constantly exchanging thoughts on what they might need to do once they got back to 1997 and the people they might get to meet there. The Slytherins, on the other hand, were the last ones to leave, and there was a rather pensive aura around them. On their way back to the Slytherin Dungeon, both Calvin and Lena remained absolutely silent, very possibly mulling around all the things that could go wrong and how, being the House that most Death Eaters came from, they wouldz probably have to deal with pretty dangerous people on a daily basis, unlike the rest of the members of the team. Niko trotted happily next to them, his attitude much more akin to Jimmy and Maggie's — he mentioned how thrilling this could be for the four of us, and how his only concern was whether he'd still get to be the Quidditch captain for Slytherin back in 1997. Probably not, he assumed, but fell silent when Lena glared at him. Bobby, on the other hand, kept his thoughts to himself most of the time.

"You know, I _still_ have a bad feeling about this," he mumbled finally, shaking his head.

* * *

 _Heh. So they're all in! I didn't plan for this to end up being so long — but I realized that a lot of the aspects of the mission hadn't been explained yet, so I ended up doing, well, this. Anyway, I hope it wasn't too boring and I hope you liked how I portrayed your characters, even though none of them has really been in the spotlight for long. But yeah! I intend to have them depart to 1997 in the following chapter — so stay tuned!_


	5. The Portal

_so let's let things come out of the woodwork_  
 _i'll give you my best side, tell you all my best lines_  
 _seeing me rolling, showing someone else love_  
 _dancing with our shoes off_  
 _know i think you're awesome, right?_

 **homemade dynamite - lorde**

* * *

September 4th was a rainy day.

Alex hated the rain. His two best friends usually rejoiced on the fact that it usually meant that they would get to stay inside all evening, huddled in the Hufflepuff common room around a tray of biscuits that Kanon had received from one of her house elf friends and chatting with their Housemates — especially with the younger ones, since Caroline had always had a soft spot for them. But things had been a little off since they got back from the Headmistress's Office — Kanon was even quieter than before, and Caroline, in spite of having agreed to participate in McGonagall's plan, still voiced her thoughts about how risky it was whenever the three of them were on their own.

He obviously had his doubts, too. He knew they were going straight into a warzone, and he wasn't the most skilled duelist or a great student overall. He got by, but that was about it. He couldn't quite understand why Professor Longbottom had chosen him, out of all the perfect candidates that he could come up with. It wasn't like he lacked self-confidence, though — he would try his best, like he always did. He had even checked a book on the Second Wizarding War out of the library, and found himself surprisingly immersed in it within a few pages. There were quite a few details that he wasn't familiar with, as a child who was born two years after the conflict ended. His father — the only Wizarding member of his direct family, since his mother was a Muggle — had taken little to no part in the fighting, and had simply tried to get by and support his family throughout it. He didn't think any less of his father because of it, though — he realized that not everyone had it in them to fight, and that some people offered resistance to Lord Voldemort's regime of terror by simply not joining his side.

"So d'you reckon we'll get to meet Harry Potter at some point?" he asked conversationally, flipping through the chapter of his book that narrated Potter's scavenger hunt for Voldemort's horcruxes. "I mean, he didn't come to school that year, but he did have to come back eventually, right? Because of the Battle of Hogwarts and everything."

"Hopefully we'll be done with our mission by then," Caroline replied, shrugging her shoulders. The girl was trying not to sound too pessimistic, but Alex knew that deep down she was just as concerned as she had shown herself a few days ago when they first learned about McGonagall's plan.

"How will we know, though?" Kanon asked. "For all we know, there could be _a lot_ of students involved in Voldemort's plans. A lot of families with children in schooling age were among his ranks back then — the Malfoys, the Goyles, the Zabinis, the Parkinsons. Surely we won't be able to tell who's a part of his plan and who isn't until the very end?"

"Well, I don't know," Caroline declared, a bit nervously. "All that I know is that I'd rather not be there when the fighting begins."

"None of us would be reckless enough to want that, Carol," Alex said, trying to comfort his friend with a small smile. "Well — Marston and Arsenau, maybe. But I'm sure we'll be done by then, even if it means we won't get to meet young Harry Potter."

Caroline's expression softened at her friend's words. "Yeah, that'd be interesting, I suppose."

"Well, only five hours to go," Kanon said quietly as she checked her watch. The nervous expression on her face made Alex want to give her a hug, but he ultimately refrained from it, knowing that Kanon had grown accustomed to managing her feelings on her own over the course of the years. "Do you reckon we should catch up with our schoolwork?"

"We _are_ coming back to only a split second after we left, though," Caroline argued. "So I guess we could do with some essay writing? I mean, it's not like we're gonna come back from fighting Voldemort's army and then sit down and write our bloody _schoolwork_."

"You two are just plain _boring_ sometimes," Alex sighed, shaking his head, but smiled nevertheless.

Because, in spite of everything, he _had_ grown quite used to those two girls being his sisters, in everything but blood.

* * *

"Fuck's sake, Si, we're gonna be late!"

"Don't _cuss_ in the middle of the hallway, Elodie."

"It's one in the bloody morning, Celine, who _cares_. I doubt Mrs. Norris is gonna tell my cursing apart from your _lavish vocabulary_."

Brooklyn and Simon exchanged glances as their friend trotted up the hall, her trunk clattering against the floor behind her, while Celine followed her with a clearly annoyed expression on her face. Brooklyn had observed in the past that Celine was somewhat jealous of their performance at school, especially since Elodie was appointed Prefect 'instead' of her. But the mutual banter between them was a new thing — the girl had approached them a couple of times over the past few days with brief questions about their mission, and Elodie had never hesitated to passive-aggressively reply with a wide range of sarcastic retorts and dry comments. Brooklyn didn't quite _get_ why they suddenly couldn't seem to stand each other, especially since all three of them had been roommates since their First Year and, in spite of not having become friends at any point, they had usually been civil around each other until then.

"I think Elodie feels like Celine's too bossy and she's going to try to get us all to do whatever she wants," Simon offered as he pushed his spectacles up. "They're really similar, in a way."

"Hm, yeah," Brooklyn reflected quietly. "I just hope they don't end up, well, murdering each other in their sleep. I'd probably have to witness it all."

"That wouldn't be exactly profitable for our mission, would it?" Simon chuckled, shaking his head. When his friend only replied with a faint smile, he glanced at her with a curious expression. "You nervous, Brooke?"

"Yeah, a little," she admitted, pursing her lips. Her eyes met Simon's and, in spite of having known him since they were both eleven and knowing exactly how he felt at that point, she added feebly, "You?"

"Me? Nah, I'm fine. I'm just on the verge of a panic attack."

She giggled at her friend's response. "We'll be fine, Si. As long as Elodie and Celine don't murder each other and cause a show in the process."

Simon chuckled and, with that, they both silently agreed to follow Elodie and Celine to the Great Hall, where they were to meet the rest of the group in less than ten minutes. Brooklyn couldn't help but smile at how Elodie seemed to be unable to stop mumbling a long list of things that she wanted to take on their mission, just in case she had forgotten something back in their dormitory. They had gotten to know each other over the past six years to a point where she knew her even better than her own family — after all, Brooklyn _had_ been spending pretty much every single day with her ever since they first got to Hogwarts, and she had therefore gotten to see how she grew up as a person and as one of the brightest students of their Year. She was aware of all her quirks, and also all her flaws, but loved her like a sister nevertheless. And for a second, she thought of how strange it would feel to graduate and know that she wouldn't get to see her and Simon every single day from that point onwards.

"Hey, hi!"

She gazed up and realized that Maggie, the Gryffindor girl from their Year, had trotted up to them with a smile on her face. They had had a few classes together over the years, but Brooklyn had never really talked to her. She knew that she must have been pretty much the exact opposite to her and her friends — extroverted, warm, and quirky, which made her one of the most popular girls in the castle, as opposed to her close-knit little group. She also knew that Simon happened to have a tiny little crush on her ever since they were assigned as Transfiguration partners back in Fourth Year — not that the boy had said anything about it, obviously, but Brooklyn just knew from the shy smile that spread over his lips whenever she was around.

"Hi, Maggie," Simon said. Brooklyn smiled to herself when she noticed that his cheeks had indeed turned a little redder.

"Hi, Mr. Specks! Merlin's sake, I thought we were never gonna make it," the girl said, rolling her eyes, and then jerked her thumb at Jimmy. "Mr. Marston here couldn't decide on whether he should bring his bloody _broomstick_ with him."

"What?" snapped Jimmy, shrugging his shoulders defensively. "Merlin knows that I can't go without flying for a _whole school year_."

"We do have to pass unnoticed, you know," Celine said, her brow furrowing. She had a certain amount of respect for her Housemates because of how they were generally good students, Brooklyn knew, but she suspected that she wasn't exactly fond of someone as stereotypically _Gryffindor_ as Jimmy. "You're not gonna get there and become, I don't know, the bloody Quidditch Captain."

"God, is she always so annoying," Maggie mumbled to Simon, who shrugged a little in a humorous manner. The girl giggled a little and then smiled broadly at Brooklyn, who was caught slightly offguard by it. "Hi! You're Brooklyn, right? Simon's friend? I think you sat in front of me in History of Magic last year, right? Merlin knows I got to study every single hair on your scalp — Professor Binns is just about the _dullest_ person on Earth. Well, he technically isn't a person any more, but you know. Can you _imagine_ what it must've been like to be his wife or something like that?"

Brooklyn couldn't help but wonder if Maggie was always this . . . _talkative_. "Yeah, I think I remember you from that. And Professor Binns is pretty boring, to be honest."

"You bet," the girl clicked her tongue and patted Brooklyn's shoulder in a friendly manner before sauntering off to tell Elodie that she loved her haircut, which made Brooklyn smile. Maggie _was_ pretty different to her and her friends, but she liked her nevertheless. There was also something funny about how Jimmy would stand there, all tall and handsome, and still smile at you like you were his closest friend in the world.

They would both probably make good teammates, she thought. All fourteen of them would, in a way.

* * *

To say that Lena felt a little anxious about leaving would be an understatement — she was downright _frightened_ of it. Not that she'd ever admit it to Calvin, Niko or Bobby, but she wasn't usually capable of socializing with new people for an extended period of time, and the thought of being alone with a bunch of Pureblood Slytherin girls as soon as they got to the Hogwarts Express made her feel nauseated. Not to mention the fact that she would have to remind every single one of her teammates that she would sometimes be unable to understand what they said to her — but also that she was still a perfectly valid witch and perfectly capable of communicating through BSL and verbal speech, and that she wasn't one to be taken for a fool.

That was why she chose to cross her arms and scrunch her nose quietly instead of greeting the rest of the team when they got to the corridor where Professor Longbottom had arranged to meet them at exactly two in the morning. She just stood next to Calvin, both awkwardly glancing around the corridor while Niko high-fived Alex in a friendly manner and Bobby waved at Thea with a broad smile. The Ravenclaws seemed to eye her curiously, and when one of them — the quieter girl, who had hardly spoken at all back in their first meeting — smiled feebly at her, she couldn't help but smile back in spite of everything.

 _You all right?_ , Calvin signaled, frowning ever so lightly.

 _Yeah, I think I am_ , she signaled back. _I'm just tired, to be honest._

 _Me too. Plus now we're supposed to, like, act friendly around everyone._

 _You're just mad because you're going to have to spend loads of time with Marston and his friend._

 _Yeah, that's probably it. Who knows, we might end up becoming friends with Pretty Boy or something like that._

 _As if, Lena._

 _Maybe you'll even get to shag him!_

 _Please,_ do _sod off._

Lena chuckled a little and, even though she couldn't physically hear it, she knew that Calvin chuckled too. Maggie glanced at them briefly, as though wondering what they might be laughing about, but refrained from commenting on it when she saw Professor Longbottom at the end of the corridor. Lena nodded at their Herbology professor politely, and carefully read his lips as he explained again how their upcoming time travel was going to work. The mirror was a temporary portal that would send them into the very fibres of the Wizarding World's time and space and catapult them back in time to September 1st, 1997 — they did know that much already — and would immediately pop up at Platform Nine-And-Three-Quarters, as though they had just taken the usual leap from the Muggle side of King's Cross like everyone else did. They were to avoid the Death Eaters guarding the train's main entrances — Professor Longbottom told them that the safest way in would be by entering the train through the door right next to the trunk wagon — and essentially divide themselves into smaller groups and casually hang out with whichever students they could find, regardless of their House and Year. However, he strongly suggested that the Slytherins should try and find someone trustworthy among their Housemates so as to get themselves infiltrated in the organization that they were meant to hijack as soon as possible. Lena couldn't help but roll her eyes a little — it wasn't like she wanted to hang out with the other members of the team, but she still preferred them to a bunch of _mini Death Eaters_.

"All right, I think that should be it for now," Professor Longbottom said softly. A kind smile appeared on his face, his expression a lot more relaxed now that he felt like most of the students were fully aware of the importance of their mission and the risks that they were about to take. "You're going to do great, I know that much. Stay safe, be wise, trust each other — I know you're all very different, but I'm sure you will find a way to work together and make it safely out of this. When you're done — well, the Room of Requirement will know when you're done, so you just need to go back, the fourteen of you, and you'll be back to a split second after you leave here."

"So . . . if we spend a year there, and then we just come back, would we still be sixteen or would that make us a year older?" Bobby asked, tilting his head lightly.

"You'll technically still be just as old as you are now," Professor Longbottom responded, although for a second it seemed as though he wasn't all too sure of what to respond. "Time — well, time is just about the most complex thing in the universe, Bernard. You'll find out soon enough."

"I didn't know your full name was Bernard!" Thea said with a slight giggle, squeezing Bobby's shoulder in a friendly way — which obviously made the boy's cheeks turn bright red. "That's cute, Bobby."

"Well, yeah, I guess," the boy said coyly, shrugging ever so lightly — which wasn't like him at all.

Lena just rolled her eyes and signaled something along the lines of, _The straights are back at it again_. Which made Calvin snort, obviously.

"Anyway, I think we should get going," Alex said, his brow furrowing lightly — Lena couldn't help but wonder why, because as far as she could tell he was pretty much the laid-back, friendly type, and he and Thea weren't even close. Why did everyone like _her_ so much all of a sudden, anyhow?

"Absolutely," Professor Longbottom said, nodding his head. He then flicked his wand towards the left, and where a sturdy brick wall stood a moment earlier appeared a big door that led, as they had already learned, to the Room of Requirement. With another flick of Professor Longbottom's wand, the doors flung open to reveal a dark room where the only source of light was a body-length mirror, which gleamed in the same greenish tone than floo-powdered chimneys. Jimmy's eyebrows rose in anticipation, whereas Celine seemed to glance over her shoulder in a worried manner. Each and every one of them reacted in a different way to the portal that was to take them back to 1997, Lena noted, but she was surprised to see that the first one to take a step towards the mirror was the thin, curly-haired Ravenclaw girl that had smiled at her only a few minutes earlier.

"One at a time, please," Professor Longbottom reminded them, flashing a comforting smile towards Brooklyn. "I'll be right here when you get back."

The girl nodded quietly and, after taking a deep breath, stepped into the mirror. Her two friends shared a worried glance, but Elodie followed her in a matter of seconds. Simon went right after her two friends; Jimmy and Maggie trotted behind them, and Niko and Bobby high-fived each other before stepping into the portal, closely followed by a rather hesitant Celine. Kanon took a few hesitant steps before lunging herself right into the mirror, and Caroline quickly followed her after making sure that everyone was feeling all right. Thea smiled at the rest of them before marching off, and Lena rolled her eyes when she realized that the girl's gesture had made Alex grin right before he followed her. When it was just her and Calvin left, she couldn't help but let out a nervous cough.

 _We'll be fine_ , the boy signaled, a kind smile on his usually stoic face.

 _I hope so_ , Lena signaled back. _Let's get going_.

Calvin ran a hand through his hair before stepping into the portal, and signaled _see you at the other side_ before disappearing. Lena glanced towards Professor Longbottom, who smiled encouragingly at her. With two swift movements of his hands, he said two words that made Lena feel confident enough to dash right through the portal, drawing one last breath before plummeting herself right into an entirely different decade.

 _Good luck_ , her Professor had signaled.

* * *

 _Soooo yes, they've left! I can't believe the next chapter's already going to be set in 1997 — eep, I'm so excited! I can't wait to have them all meet a few of the canon characters and get to the castle, hehe. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this one! I'm sorry I didn't reply to any of your reviews — I read most of them but I just had the craziest week between work and preparing for uni and everything, so I figured you'd enjoy a new chapter much more and started typing this on my way home and well, I ended up being able to finish this earlier than I'd intended to, yay. :D_

 _Anyway, thanks for being such supportive readers and reviewers! This story wouldn't be the same without you all, and I totally mean it. Your reviews and ideas are pretty much what fuel my inspiration, and you're all incredibly kind and supportive, so . . . yeah, thanks a ton. :)_

 _Watch out for the next chapter! It should be up sometime next week, hopefully — and I promise you, loads of stuff will be happening in it. Hehehe._


	6. September 1st, 1997

_streetlights talk the same way my mother told me_  
 _i walk the same way my father told me_  
 _back straight, chest out, just like a soldier_

 **south - hippo campus**

* * *

Kanon's first thought when she stepped on Platform-Nine-And-Three-Quarters's cobbled floor was that, oddly enough, the station smelled exactly the same way it did back in 2018. She even felt that very same feeling that overcame her every time she had boarded the Hogwarts Express over the past seven years — anticipation, curiosity, and an overall sense of happiness and well-being.

A moment later, however, she realized that things weren't as familiar as they had seemed when she first stepped on the Platform.

Most of the students were quietly going about, saying hushed goodbyes to their parents and only waving at their friends with meek gestures, instead of the loud bubbly conversations that usually filled the Platform on September 1st. Some children had even come on their own or accompanied by only one parent — Kanon felt a pang of pain in her chest when she realized that it was probably because a lot of them had Muggle-born or even Muggle parents, and she had heard from Alex all about how they were all thoroughly prosecuted by Voldemort's army during the last war. She couldn't possibly fathom what that must have been like — being a Muggle-born herself, she could hardly imagine how she would feel if the Wizarding World, which was in fact the only world that she had ever considered her own in spite of having grown up in a Muggle household, suddenly rejected her and tried to tear her away from everything she had learned to appreciate and love over the past seven years.

That was probably why she immediately gazed down when a man in a dark cloak and an enormous tattoo on his forearm glared at her as she made her way to the luggage wagon.

"You all right, Nonnie?"

Alex had come up with that pet name for her only a few hours after they first met, and even though she wasn't exactly fond of it there was something about the way his voice softened when he used it that made Kanon feel a little more at peace with herself.

"Yeah, it's just that those fellows seem a little creepy," she whispered before placing her trunk inside the wagon, neatly tucked between Alex's and Caroline's. The latter gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, which tugged a smile at the corner of Kanon's lips. "I'm fine, really."

"Don't worry about them, all right?" Caroline said. "You're safe. And the thirteen of us are here to protect you — especially Alex and I."

"I could help, though," a voice chimed in behind her. When Kanon turned around, Thea offered her a bright smile and squeezed her other shoulder gently. "I mean, I'm not the best duelist or anything, but I can offer tons of moral support."

"That'd be very appreciated," Kanon replied, feeling how the itch in her gut slowly faded away. She smiled back at Thea and added, "Do you want to hang out with us on the way to school? We could try and find a compartment just for the four of us."

"Yeah, that'd be great," Thea said. "I don't really know any of the other kids, to be honest. Well, Maggie and Jimmy are nice and everything, but I think they're meant to go find young Professor Longbottom or something like that."

"I feel like we should call him _Neville_ from now on," Caroline noted, her eyebrows rising. "I mean, just in case."

"Oh, yeah, sure. Sorry about that." There was something about Thea that made Kanon feel a little better about the whole situation. She knew that she was a bit like Alex — easy-going, laid-back and funny, but she had never thought that someone so different to her could possibly make her feel so at ease when they had hardly even talked before.

"So Marston and Arsenau are going to go find _Neville_?" Celine said behind them, right before charming her trunk onto the wagon. She then beamed at them — Kanon didn't think she had ever seen her smile before, or at least not directly at her — and added, "Is it all right if I join you? I just don't feel like hanging out on my own."

"Sure, that'd be nice," Alex said, nodding his head. Kanon and Caroline, on the other hand, glanced at each other — Kanon knew that her friend wasn't exactly _fond_ of Celine's general attitude, but they always tried not to judge a book by its cover, so the girl simply shrugged and nodded at the Ravenclaw. When all five of them were ready to go, they set foot towards the entrance that Neville had told them about.

"So, Celine," Thea said conversationally, a kind smile perpetually on her face. "You're practically top of your class, right? That's great, I'm sure you'll know tons about the stuff that we're supposed to do here."

"Yeah, well," Celine replied, in a tone that made it quite obvious that she was just being polite and didn't in fact, need anyone to reassure her about her grades. "I got an O in History of Magic, and our O.W.L. exam _was_ on the Second Wizarding War. So yeah."

"That's good," Thea nodded, visibly eager to establish a friendly relationship with the other girl. Kanon wondered whether it was physically possible for someone to _not_ like her, being all smiles and kindness. "I wasn't great at History of Magic, really. I mean, I like History, but Professor Binns's classes are . . . well, pretty dull."

"I don't really care, honestly," Celine said with a shrug of her shoulders. "It wasn't exactly my cup of tea either, but I've a good memory and the content stuck well with me. That's it." The girl eyed several compartments with a serious face, then ended up pointing at the one at the end of the corridor. "Let's go sit in that one."

Caroline huffed lightly at the girl's command, which made Kanon smile. She knew that her friend was trying to be civil, but she actually had a hard time following orders when they came from . . . well, people who usually acted somewhat _bossy_. She just gave her friend's shoulder a gentle squeeze and tilted her head towards the compartment, where Celine had taken a seat right next to the window and Alex and Thea chatted amiably — perhaps a little _too_ amiably, Kanon thought, but she wasn't going to be pointing that out anytime soon.

"I still can't believe we actually agreed to do this," Caroline sighed, shaking her head.

"C'mon, it'll be fun," Kanon said, rubbing her arm. When her friend rolled her eyes at her, she couldn't help but giggle. "I mean, getting to watch how Alex slowly becomes a _smitten kitten_ will be kind of fun. Won't it?"

"Ugh," Caroline faked an irked expression, but ended up smiling too. "You really do know how to look at the bright side of things, don't you?"

" _Always look on the bright side of life . . ._ " Kanon hummed. When she realized that her friend wouldn't get the reference, being a Pureblood witch and everything, she just laughed a little and shook her head. "Come on, let's go."

And off they went, only a few minutes before the train left the station and sent them back to Hogwarts — nineteen years earlier than the moment they left the castle — and into the most hostile environment that they had ever found themselves in.

* * *

" _You_ do it, Mr. Specks. Lovegood will probably trust you."

" _What_. There's no way I'm approaching them and going all like, 'hey, Luna, remember how we've always been Housemates? Yeah, me too!' when she's never even _met_ me before."

"That's the point, mate. They'll _believe_ they've met us before, because of the potion that Professor Longbottom gave us."

"Uh, there's still no way I'm doing it."

Jimmy let out an exasperated sigh. "Fuck's sake, I'll do it."

"That's probably for the best," Elodie nodded her head, a bit coyly. "I mean, you're a Gryffindor, and technically Ginny and Neville _should_ feel like they've seen you before as soon as the potion kicks in."

"Come on, Jimmy Boy," Maggie patted her best friend's back encouragingly. "Go ahead. We'll be right behind you."

Jimmy sighed, but ultimately headed towards the compartment where Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood seemed to discuss something in a hushed tone. The boy peeped through the door and flashed a bright smile towards the three of them, all looking equally surprised upon his sudden appearance — especially when they couldn't recall having seen him anywhere before — and his friends crossing their fingers behind him, hoping that Professor Longbottom's potion would work.

"Hey, Prof . . . " Jimmy said, but instantly felt how Maggie stomped on his foot when she realized that her friend was addressing their teacher's seventeen-year-old self by calling him _Professor Longbottom_. The boy muffled a cry, and then coughed before saying, "I mean, hi, Neville. Also, hi, Ginny! How has your summer been?"

"Um," Ginny said hesitantly, still not too sure of who this pretty-faced boy who had just popped into their compartment was. There was something familiar about him, though — she must've seen him before in the Gryffindor common room, given the visible colours of the boy's tie. "It was — well, you know, difficult. But my eldest brother got married, so that was nice."

"Yes, it was a beautiful wedding," Luna commented in her usual dreamy tone, a smile on her face. Then she said, quite plainly but in an exceptionally kind tone, "Do we know you?"

"Like hell you do!" Jimmy said, feigning the brightest tone he could muster. He took a seat next to Neville and smiled broadly at the three of them. "I'm Jimmy Marston. Ginny and I have been classmates and Housemates since our First Year. Can't you remember, Ginny? Maggie's your _roommate_ , I'm sure you'll remember her." He pointed towards his friend, who was still standing by the door and looked visibly concerned at how things seemed to be going. "And those are Simon Wright, Brooklyn Taylor and Elodie Kaiser, they're all Ravenclaws. You know them, Luna, right?"

But then, as if a lightbulb had just been turned on in the three students' brains, Ginny beamed at the two of them and nodded, "Merlin, yes! Maggie, it's been forever! How are you?"

The three Ravenclaws exchanged somewhat concerned glances, but Maggie just took a seat next to Ginny and hugged her with a sincerity that would have made anyone believe that they _really_ had been roommates for the previous five years. "Ginny! Merlin, this summer has been _bollocks_. I heard your brother's wife is French, right? Neat choice!"

"Yeah, Fleur Delacour. She was the Beauxbatons victor back when the Triwizard Tournament was held in Hogwarts," Luna mused, nodding her head. She then offered the three Ravenclaws a kind smile. "Please do take a seat, I've missed you all greatly."

"Have — have you?" Simon asked dubiously as he took a seat next to Maggie. His two friends, on the other hand, sat next to Jimmy and Neville.

"Of course," the girl said brightly, and then smiled at Elodie and Brooklyn. "Hopefully we'll get to be roommates this year."

"That'd be nice," Elodie nodded slowly. She then leaned towards Brooklyn and mumbled, "Gee, Professor Longbottom's potion really _does_ work, huh." Brooklyn nodded her head and tousled her own hair absentmindedly like she usually did when she was surrounded by people that she wasn't acquainted with.

"So," Jimmy's eyebrows rose, and he even patted Neville's knee in a friendly manner. "How are you doing?"

"Uh," Neville said quietly, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, I'm fine. Better than most, anyway. I heard Dean isn't coming back to school this year. He's gone into hiding, like most Muggle-borns."

"I honestly don't think I'll be able to stand this _bullshit_ much longer," Ginny said, shaking her head. Her cheeks even seemed to flush with anger, matching her bright red hair. "And on top of everything Snape will be our bloody Headmaster. I thought Hogwarts was supposed to be a safe place?"

"It clearly isn't anymore," Brooklyn commented quietly shaking her head.

Ginny did a light huff and leaned back on her seat, shaking her head. Neville patted her shoulder ever so lightly, and then shot a glance towards their newfound companions.

"It's going to be a tough year, we know that much already," he said. "But we'll make it through it."

"It's not going to be the same without Harry," Luna pointed out distractedly. "And Hermione and Ron, of course. But Harry always managed to brighten things up a little, didn't he?"

Ginny smiled a little at Luna's comment, which made Elodie and Brooklyn exchange slightly _fangirlish_ glances. They knew that Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley had ended up together, and they had even discussed the fact that they were probably going to meet the girl sometime along their mission — Ginny was a big hero of theirs, being the skilled witch that she was, and it still felt awfully odd to be in a compartment with her sixteen-year-old self, on their way to Hogwarts.

"We'll manage, Ginny," Neville said in a comforting tone. "They'll get back as soon as they're done. And in the meantime, we need to get ready to fight back."

"Yes," Maggie said, nodding her head excitedly. "We're going to have to work together to show them that we're not children anymore, right?"

"Hear, hear," Ginny said, her tone brightening a little upon hearing her fellow Gryffindor's words. "I'd almost forgotten how much I like you, Maggie."

Jimmy and Maggie glanced at each other, feeling more than thrilled about how their first approach to the three of them was going. They had already earned themselves their trust, so to speak, and all they needed to do from that point onwards was to slowly form a tight bond with them to make sure that they would trust them with updates from the Order, and that they might help them if they ever needed an extra hand while dealing with potential Death Eaters at school.

That, and because Jimmy couldn't possibly fathom anything cooler than becoming friends with _Ginny Weasley from the Holyhead Harpies_.

* * *

The Welcoming Feast was as unwelcoming and as stroppy as Bobby had imagined it, but it still gave him chills to listen to Snape's speech as most of the Slytherin table snickered and exchanged their thoughts on 'those filthy Mudbloods' that were being prosecuted as their new Headmaster spoke. The four of them were sitting together, Blaise Zabini and Millicent Bullstrode to their left and a group of Fourth Year girls to their right. Draco Malfoy was surrounded by his friends and haughtily glanced towards the Gryffindor table from time to time — Bobby couldn't help but notice that there was an unusually low amount of students sitting there, even when the First Years had already taken their seats among them, probably because of all the Muggle-born students that had decided to go into hiding instead of attending school that year.

 _This doesn't even_ look _like the castle we've always known_ , Lena signaled, a grim expression on her face.

 _I know_ , Bobby signaled back. _Plus our table looks completely different back in 2018. I don't think there's a single Half-blood here, let alone a Muggle-born._

"Hey, Bay!" Zabini said, with a disdainful expression. They had bumped into him on the train, and in spite of having felt slightly confused at first, he had quickly recognized them as fellow Slytherins. He didn't seem to be all too fond of them, though. "What are you doing? Mimicking Snape with your hands or something?"

"No, I — " he said, shaking his head. He flashed a glance towards Lena and then said, "It's just that Lena can't hear."

"Can't hear? What do you mean, she _can't hear_?"

"I mean she's deaf," Bobby said, his brow furrowing a little. Zabini snorted, but since getting into a fight with him wouldn't be exactly helpful for their mission, he decided to let it go and shrugged his shoulders. "S'not her fault, mate."

" _S'not her fault, mate_ ," Zabini mimicked. Bobby clenched his fist, but Lena placed a gentle hand on top of it. In front of them, both Niko and Calvin had furrowed their brows, both at Zabini's taunting and the possibility of Bobby snapping back at him, but ultimately said nothing.

 _He's not worth our time, Bobby_ , Lena signaled, shaking her head a little.

"I've no idea what deafie here said," Millicent Bullstrode snorted. "But you'd best learn what your place is, Bay. Bet your mummy's a big fat Muggle or sum'n like that."

"She's _not_ ," Bobby said, struggling to keep his tone even. "Just leave us alone, please."

Millicent snickered but turned around to chat with the girl sitting next to her and ultimately forgot about them. In spite of the perpetual wry gesture on Zabini's face, he ended up leaving them alone too, especially after Calvin helped himself to some pudding a little too loudly and shot an icy glance towards him.

"Way to go, Bob," Niko mumbled, shaking his head. "We're supposed to become their _friends_."

 _We're still allowed to think that they're arseholes, though_ , Lena signaled. She then patted Bobby's back — which was her way of saying 'thank you'.

"Still, we should refrain from getting into fights with our own Housemates," Calvin said stiffly before taking a bite from his fork. Then he added, in a quieter tone. "We _need_ to do this. Merlin knows that the Ravenclaws or Hufflepuffs or Gryffindors won't be able to gather as much information as we will. And I won't be able to stand Marston calling us 'unnecessary' or 'untrustworthy' again."

 _He only said that about you, though_ , Lena noted, a snarky expression on her face. When Calvin pulled a face at her, she added, _Get your shit together, Klauson_.

Bobby and Niko chuckled a little, even though they couldn't possibly know what Lena was referring to. The girl just beamed one last haughty smile towards her friend before helping herself to a piece of cake, and Calvin simply rolled his eyes and glanced around the Great Hall as though trying to distract himself from Lena's words.

When his eyes landed on the Gryffindor table, he couldn't help but notice that Jimmy's bright blue eyes were focused exactly on him, even though the boy looked away only a second later.

* * *

 _Dun dun dun! So, that's that for now. They've met a couple canon characters — eep, I loved writing the Silver Trio, hope they weren't too ooc! — and they're bound to meet even_ more _of them, so stay tuned! :D_


	7. In The Lion's Den

_well, your left hand's free_  
 _and your right's in a grip_  
 _with another left hand_  
 _watch his right hand slip_  
 _towards his gun, oh, no_

 **left hand free - alt-j**

* * *

Caroline had never been particularly keen on Potions class. She didn't even know why she had chosen to take it as one of her N.E.W.T.-level classes — she wasn't bad at it, but she just didn't _feel_ it. Professor Slughorn wasn't the most passionate of teachers, and he tended to drone on about how important a certain essence or potion was instead of actually letting his students discover its intricacies by themselves. Not to mention how _bloody_ elitist he could be sometimes. He was a good fellow deep down, she knew that much, but it sometimes ticked her off that he refused to acknowledge some off his less brilliant students' progresses because he was just too busy pampering the ones that he felt much more predilection for.

"Well, at least Snape isn't teaching it anymore," Alex said through gritted teeth, which caused Thea to stifle a laugh.

It was their first class in 1997. The four of them had Potions together, so Thea had sauntered over to the Hufflepuff table right after breakfast and told them that she would be joining them in a bit — after all, the rest of their teammates were in the Year below them, and it made sense that they would choose to hang out together during classes. The castle had the same grim aura about it than the previous night, but at least the Carrows weren't around during breakfast, which allowed the students to go about their day without giving the Death Eaters' presence in the castle too much thought. Caroline had quickly visited the Ravenclaw table and asked Simon, Elodie, Brooklyn, and Celine whether they were doing all right, and then proceeded to do so again with her Slytherin and Gryffindor teammates. She was still wary of the nature of their mission, but she had slowly begun to grow fond of the rest of the gang — most of them were naturally smart but also kind and loyal to their common cause, which made her feel like she could easily trust them if they ever got into a remotely dangerous situation.

The Potions classroom didn't look much different from the one Caroline had spent her earlier schooling years in. Professor Slughorn hadn't changed the way he arranged the different jars, test tubes and pipettes on his table, and the cupboards were still full of all sorts of odd plants and books that appeared to have been stacked there sometime in the mid-nineteenth century and had simply been forgotten — or abandoned — by their owners.

"So, are you two sitting together?" Alex asked her and Kanon, his eyebrows rising lightly. Caroline huffed a little — it was obvious that he would rather sit with Thea, although the boy would never admit it.

"Yup, we're cool with that," she nodded, placing her textbooks right next to Kanon's and taking a seat on the wooden stool behind their desk. She couldn't help but chuckle when she overheard the conversation between Alex and Thea — the boy was telling her all about his enchanted violin, which he had brought with him 'from home' — which was the euphemism that the gang had come up with to refer to their original time —; the girl, on the other hand, gushed about how she had always loved classical music but never really got to learn about it as a child because of her entirely magical upbringing. When Alex suggested that he could play it for her sometime, the girl nodded enthusiastically and stated that she would love that.

"Boy, isn't he smitten," she chuckled, tilting her head towards them. "I mean, I've _never_ seen him this into anyone before. And there _was_ that whole Martha MacGuffin thing back in Fifth Year, y'know."

"Yeah," Kanon laughed, nodding her head. When their friend glanced at them with an odd look on his face, Caroline stuck his tongue out at him playfully before he got back to telling Thea all about his violin. Kanon added, in a much lower tone, "They'd make a cute couple, wouldn't they?"

"Yeah, maybe," Caroline admitted. "Although I don't think Bobby would feel too thrilled about it."

"What do you — "

Kanon fell silent when Professor Slughorn loudly announced his entrance in the classroom with a _thud_ of the door. Most of their classmates had already taken a seat and flipped their textbooks open — they were, after all, Seventh Year students, and they were all expected to sit their N.E.W.T.s at the end of the year. Caroline had never really thought of how the schoolwork that they did over that year would amount to nothing, and she did feel slightly frustrated for a second — did Professor Longbottom _really_ expect them to score their usual grades and _on top of that_ dismantle a Death Eater network? It seemed like he did.

She carefully studied the rest of the class with a light frown on her brow. There were only a handful of students aside from the four of them — a Hufflepuff girl that also happened to be one of her new roommates, two Hufflepuff boys who had high-fived Alex before taking their seats, three Ravenclaw girls, four Gryffindors, and a very surprising amount of Slytherins, including Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson. She reckoned that the other three Houses had suffered important losses from all the Muggle-born students that had gone into hiding, which made her — a Pureblood — feel inexplicably frustrated. She felt conflicted about it, though — was she entitled to feeling the way she did? She wasn't a Muggle-born like Kanon, or even a Half-blood like Alex or Thea — she came from a very ancient and previously elitist Wizarding family, and she sometimes felt like certain wizards and witches were warier of her because of it. She had grown in a financially wealthy family, and she barely knew how the Muggle world worked. And still, it irked her to think that some people may regard her as someone even remotely similar to those entitled _brats_ who groomed around the corridors of the castle taunting First Years who happened to have a Muggle-born mother, a Muggle father or a non-magical relative altogether.

"I feel like Malfoy's a pretty shady guy," she whispered to Kanon as Professor Slughorn went on about how they should make sure to learn as much as they could over that year, in spite of 'the current situation'. "I mean, wasn't his Dad like, one of You-Know-Who's best friends?"

"I really don't think we should be discussing this right now," Kanon said in a rushed tone, glancing towards the two Ravenclaw girls who had furrowed their brow at them. "We're disrupting the class, and on top of that someone might hear us."

"All right, all right," Caroline admitted quietly, nodding her head. She was usually the first one to stay absolutely silent in class and take notes and constantly ask questions — but being in 1997 was a lot to take in, she assumed, and she didn't exactly feel like listening to Professor Slughorn in that moment. So instead, she tore a small piece of parchment and scribbled something with her quill before quietly dropping it to the floor and tapping Alex on the shoulder, signaling for him to pick it up. There was a quizzical look on her friend's face, but his expression relaxed when he read the note. He even nodded a little before crumpling the piece of parchment into a ball.

 _I think we should start by finding out whether Malfoy and his friends are in on it._

* * *

"Mr. Specks! Elodie! I didn't know you two took Ancient Runes!"

Elodie couldn't help but chuckle when she noticed the grin that had spread across Simon's lips after he heard Maggie's voice at the end of the corridor. The girl ran up to them, her Ancient Runes textbook in her hand, and hugged them both tightly in the friendliest of manners. She wasn't used to physical contact with people that she wasn't _really_ close to, but she still found it a rather amiable gesture amidst the group of strangers that surrounded them.

"I thought Brooklyn would be with you?" Maggie said, a slightly sleepy tone still discernible in her voice. "I mean, you three usually just go about the castle together all the time, so — "

"No, yeah, she doesn't take Ancient Runes, so," Simon said quickly. "I think it's just the three of us."

"Nope, I'm here too," said Bobby from behind them, stifling a light yawn. He clearly didn't seem to be a morning person, Elodie assumed as he shuffled into the classroom and slumped onto the first stool that he could get ahold of. He then glanced around gestured towards the three of them, as though inviting them to come over and sit near him.

"Mr. Specks! You wanna sit with me?" Maggie said, a broad smile on her face. When Simon nodded quickly but silently — he was probably too surprised to even articulate his thoughts at that point — the girl took his hand and dragged him to the desk right in front of Bobby's.

Elodie sighed, a smile playing on her lips as she took a seat next to Bobby. "So I guess we're going to be deskmates."

"Yup," Bobby said, rubbing his right eye a little. "I feel like I'm not gonna be the most useful of partners, though. At least in a first-period class." The boy laughed a little, which made Elodie smile. Perhaps she had judged him a little too quickly — he wasn't a top student, sure, but he seemed nice enough. And well, he _was_ taking N.E.W.T.-level Ancient Runes, so he must have scored a fairly decent grade in his O.W.L. exam.

Elodie was surprised to see that their teacher was still Professor Babbling — or at least a younger version of the gray-haired woman who had enthusiastically taught them all about the study of ancient runic texts. She looked younger, her hair a bright red and her skin fair and crammed with freckles. The look in her eyes was exactly the same, though — except a little more concerned than when she had first met her in the 2010s. She welcomed them warmly but hastily, and quickly noted how deeply she regretted the absence of 'a few of her brightest students' — Muggle-borns, obviously, which caused a snicker or two among the few Slytherins who took the class. Bobby gazed down in embarrassment, and Elodie found herself patting his shoulder ever so lightly. The boy flashed a small, sad smile at her, and she couldn't help but wonder how the four Slytherins in their gang must have felt ever since they got to school here, perpetually surrounded by Housemates who had nothing to do with most of the Slytherins that she had gotten to know during most of her education. Being a Muggle-born witch herself, Elodie felt quite strongly about Voldemort's stance on said members of the Wizarding community, but she hadn't actively suffered from any sort of discrimination because of it ever since she first got to Hogwarts. The school that she had gotten to know was a safe, friendly environment that strictly punished discrimination towards witches and wizards who came from Muggle families — Slytherin itself, which had traditionally been the most conservative House of all, had plenty of Muggle-born students, and some of them had even gotten to be Prefects or Head Students over the course of the years. But in the moment that they were living in right then, September 1997, the Wizarding Government and the man who puppeteered it wanted them all _dead_.

A shiver went down Elodie's spine just as a straight-faced man, wearing a black cloak and a Death Eater tattoo on his forearm, entered the classroom. Professor Babbling, who was discussing the importance of taking N.E.W.T.-level Ancient Runes if they wanted to pursue a career as Magic Historians, fell immediately silent, her gaze even ducking a little at the man's imposing presence.

"Is anything the matter, sir?" The Professor asked cautiously.

"Headmaster Snape has deemed it necessary for some of us to supervise the classes that our students are currently taking," the man said simply. "Go on, Professor. I'm simply here to make sure that the information that our students are provided with is accurate and _far from subversive_."

Elodie gulped quietly. She glanced towards Bobby, whose expression was now rather stern, and then back towards their teacher, who clearly hadn't been informed of this new 'supervision' beforehand. The wry smile on the Death Eater's face, however, made her look away and eventually she found herself able to go back to her speech.

She wanted to scream. She _really_ felt like screaming, throwing a fit, tossing her thick textbook at the Death Eater's face — Elodie had never felt so outraged in her life before. They had thrust themselves into a world that had nothing to do with the one they had grown up in — a world in which Death Eaters supervised an innocent teacher's classes just in case she dared say something against Headmaster Snape or You-Know-Who, a world in which children like her, whose parents just so happened not to be wizards and witches, were suddenly deemed unworthy of receiving a magical education. The frustration that began to grow at the bottom of her gut was unbearable, but she also knew that it was bound to stay there until they made it back home safely. If they ever did, anyway.

Now it was Bobby's turn to pat her shoulder with a kind smile on his face.

"Don't let them get to you, El," he whispered.

The girl nodded quietly, trying her best to ignore the man who haughtily stood a few rows behind them and seemed to observe every little thing that went on in the classroom. She felt a pair of curious eyes on her, and when she looked up she found that Luna Lovegood — who also happened to be one of her new roommates — was smiling at her in a comforting way. She somehow managed to smile back at her, which made Luna's expression brighten. She then squeezed Bobby's hand a little before opening her Ancient Runes textbook.

"We're going to beat the _shit_ out of them," she mumbled. Her voice had never been firmer.

* * *

"So, uh," Jimmy said, tilting his head a little. "What does Dark Arts _mean_? I mean, if our subject used to be _Defense_ Against the Dark Arts, are we supposed to learn to _perform_ said Dark Arts or something like that?"

"One would assume that from the name of the class, yes," Calvin snorted.

Jimmy rolled his eyes. He wasn't exactly _fond_ of Calvin, if he were to be entirely honest — they hadn't even interacted that much, but there was something about him that made Jimmy feel an instant unease. He knew that his family was well off and probably really conservative — _bet he'd become obsessed about me fancying him if he ever found out I'm not straight_ , he had pointed out to Maggie once, _oh, and I bet he's already betrothed to his cousin Vilde or Ingrid or something like that!_ — and also Danish, or Swedish, or something like that. There was also a certain sense of superiority to him — he wasn't exactly popular, and he had heard that he wasn't great at magic altogether, but Calvin was an excellent student and apparently enjoyed reminding everyone of it with his snobbish attitude. He was Jimmy's exact opposite — Pureblood, Slytherin seeker, good at studying but not at executing magic — and yet there wasn't a single thing about him that made Jimmy think that he might gain something from becoming friends with him.

"So where's the rest of the gang right now?" he asked, his head turning towards the two girls that quietly strutted next to them. He knew that Brooklyn wasn't exactly the talkative type, and that Celine tended to come off as a rather aloof person most of the time, but he still liked them better than _Calvin_. "Thought your friends and Maggie would be tagging along, but I heard from her that they had Ancient Runes together, apparently."

"Yeah. Bobby's there too, I think," Brooklyn said in her usual soft tone. Jimmy noted, however, that her attitude seemed to be progressively becoming more relaxed — which probably meant that she felt at ease around him and Maggie.

"Lena had Alchemy," Calvin added, a little curtly. "Niko had Astronomy or something."

"And the Hufflepuffs and Thea had Potions," Celine concluded. "So it's just the four of us versus Professor Carrow."

"Neville, Ginny and I were talking about the Carrows yesterday night," Jimmy said proudly, mainly because he still couldn't believe that he was on friendly terms with the seventeen-year-old who was to become their Herbology teacher and _bloody Ginny Weasley, Chaser of the Holyhead Harpies_. "They're Death Eaters, obviously, and I didn't want them to know what Alex told us about them the other day about how they'll probably torture as many students as they can . . . " He halted for a second, and then added in a sharper tone, glancing towards Calvin. "And that they'll probably try and recruit as many _Slytherins_ as they can to perform some good 'auld _Crucio_ curses on First Years."

The Slytherin snorted and shook his head. "As much as I'd love crucio-ing you for a few minutes, I really don't think we're going to sign up for something like that, thank you very much."

Jimmy frowned and dug his hand into his pocket, ready to cast an engorging spell on Calvin's head, but then he realized that it probably wasn't a good idea because of how they were meant to keep a low profile so as to pass unnoticed to the Carrows and other potential Death Eaters or external threats. Plus he was a Pureblood Slytherin and he was nothing but a _filthy mudblood_ , as Headmaster Snape had gently put it in several occasions over the Welcoming Feast. Calvin had never called him that to his face, sure, but Jimmy was fairly sure that the word dangled around the edges of his mind whenever he was around.

The Dark Arts classroom was the very same room that they had used for their Defense Against the Dark Arts classes back in 2018, but it bore an entirely different appearance. It was dimly lit, the windows shut tightly and with only a few candles illuminating the desks where the students were supposed to allocate themselves. A few Slytherins were already there, chatting casually and casting wary glances towards a couple of Ravenclaws and Gryffindors that had taken a seat a few rows behind them, afraid of what Professor Carrow might do once the class began. Jimmy watched as Brooklyn and Celine silently agreed to share a desk somewhere in the middle of the classroom and a second later noticed, to his great dismay, that the fact that the girls had chosen to sit together meant that he was now stuck with _Calvin_.

"Uh," he said, trying to keep his tone cool. "I mean, you can go sit with the Slytherins if you want."

"No, I'm good," Calvin said simply, placing his books on the desk behind Celine and Brooklyn. He smiled at Jimmy wryly, and then added, "Anything the matter, Marston?"

"I'm just worried about Carrow thinking that I could potentially become one of his cronies by hanging out with you," Jimmy snapped back as he reluctantly took a seat next to Calvin.

The Slytherin just rolled his eyes and mumbled under his breath. " _Røvhul_."

"Huh? What was that?"

Before Calvin could snap back with one of his usual witty remarks, the entire room fell silent, and a shiver ran down Jimmy's spine when he realized that Professor Carrow had arrived. He had gotten a few brief glimpses of him during the Welcoming Feast — he was sitting next to his sister, Alecto, to the right of the Headmaster's seat, even though they weren't even Head teachers. He was lanky and not particularly tall, but he soon realized that there was something _very_ daunting about him; his eyes were stone-cold and his eyebrows were perpetually arched in what was possibly the strangest frown that Jimmy had ever seen. The most sickening thing about him was the tattoo that shone proudly under his cloak — the bastard wasn't even trying to hide it, Jimmy thought to himself.

"Welcome," he said in a sharp tone — which didn't sound welcoming _at all_. "My name is Professor Amycus Carrow, and I'm going to be your Dark Arts teacher. Now, it has come to my attention that this subject had to be renamed after several years of incompetent teachers who insisted on giving it a rather terrible approach — as far as I'm concerned, they even named it 'Defense _Against_ the Dark Arts', which sounds ludicrous to me. Because, after all, the Dark Arts are the most essential tool that a wizard or witch can handle — it is what really differentiates us from those _bloody_ Muggles. A _Lumos_ spell may come in handy, yes, but as my sister will teach you in her class those filthy beings know how to use _lamps_ and other items that irradiate light just like our wands do. _Engorgio_? Well, yes, it's useful, but they have managed to create machines that are able to serve the same purpose. But the Dark Arts? They _belong_ to us, to the real wizards and witches who will, from now on, control the Wizarding World with the help of our Leader."

Jimmy almost couldn't believe his ears when a group of Slytherins hooted excitedly from the rows in front of them. He felt how his cheeks reddened, and had to dig his nails onto the stool so as to keep himself from yelling back at them — he had always felt _very_ strongly towards blood elitists, but the fact that it was an institutionalized thing that he would have to bear with for nearly an entire school year was something that he hadn't considered until that very moment. It was slightly relieving to see that Celine and Brooklyn looked just as astonished as he was — the girls seemed to be exchanging quick comments in a concerned tone, whereas Calvin just stared quietly at the desk and avoided any kind of visual contact with him after their Professor's speech and his Housemates' cheery attitude towards it. _The git_ , Jimmy thought bitterly, _I bet he's in on it somehow_.

Once the Slytherins' enthusiasm had died out, Professor Carrow proceeded to explain how their N.E.W.T.-level examination would work, but Jimmy couldn't bring himself to care about it. What was the point of studying all that _bullshit_ , anyhow? He was _never_ going to use an Unforgivable Curse on anyone, and if he ever had to fight one of those bloody Death Eaters back he would use all the magic and tricks that he had learned over the course of the years. But justifying torture, murder or possession? _Never_.

 _To Hell with them_ , he thought, shaking his head. _We're going to end them all_.

* * *

 _Ooooh, drama. Hehe. Anyway – they're in 1997, antagonisms have been set, friendships are beginning to blossom. What will happen next? Stay tuned to find out, and please let me know what you think of the story so far via review! :D_


	8. Life As We Know It

_let's just get high enough to see our problems  
let's just get high enough to see our father's houses_

 **day i die - the national**

* * *

Lena wasn't one to trust people easily, but the first thing that she learned about Catherine Kenley, just as October rolled around, was that she was just about the most trustworthy person that she had ever met. She was one of her new roommates, and while she fitted into the 'well off, vain Slytherin girl' category, she had been able to see right her through external attitude in the span of a couple of hours and had realized that she was probably the only person, aside from her teammates, that she would be able to trust over the next few months. They had clicked instantly, too — while the rest of her roommates acted a little strange around her, Catherine immediately announced her interest in learning BSL and Lena had managed to teach her the rudiments of it in the first couple of weeks at school. Niko had even teased her about how she was more focused on hanging out with her than working on their mission — to which Lena had replied with a cold glare, but nothing else.

And on top of that, she _might_ have been developing a tiny little crush on her new friend. How couldn't she? The tone of her skin was absolutely mesmerizing — she had soon learnt that she was biracial, which immediately caught Lena's attention because nearly everyone in her hometown was absolutely white — and Lena couldn't help but stare at her big dark brown eyes and marvel at how they crinkled when she smiled. But none of it mattered, obviously — they had never discussed the subject, but she was fairly sure that a girl like her _had_ to be straight.

But she still found herself hanging out with her new roommate more and more as the first weeks of school went by. She even chose to sit with her instead of her teammates most of the time, which made some of them a little skeptical about how _serious_ she was about the mission, as Jimmy had bluntly put it once.

 _But Merlin, Cal, she's_ gorgeous, she had told her friend later that night, sighing quietly. _I mean, haven't you_ seen _her?_

Well, yes, Calvin replied with a shrug. _I'm gay, not blind_.

Lena tossed a pillow at him and shook her head. _She's honestly the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. And smart. And kind. I don't get why the rest of the group doesn't trust her_.

 _For all we know she could be friends with the Death Eaters that we're supposed to find_ , Calvin signaled, his lips twitching a little. _It's all right if you want to hang out with her, but I'd keep an eye on her behaviour just in case._

 _I can't_ believe _you're agreeing with bloody Jimmy Marston, Cal_.

 _Well, he does have a point_.

 _You two are gonna end up snogging in Filch's office, mark my words_.

 _Why are you so_ obsessed _with the idea of Marston and me becoming a thing, Aileen Tate_.

 _Because it's meant to happen_ , Lena giggled a little as she signaled, and then frowned at her friend. _And_ don't _call me Aileen_.

Calvin laughed softly. However, his lips pursed in a serious manner when he realized that a group of Seventh Years had arrived to the Common Room and were noisily boasting about how the Carrows had let them torture a group of Fourth Years who had dared question Alecto's teaching methods during Muggle Studies.

"I bet they're just a bunch of mudblood-loving idiots," Goyle laughed, his fist thumping against the table loudly as he took a sip from a rather mysterious flask.

"They _are_ ," Zabini chuckled, nodding his head in approval of Goyle's words. "I'm surprised that Weasley girl wasn't among them. I would have _loved_ to torture the hell out of her and her idiot brother."

"He's off somewhere with Potter, sadly," Millicent Bullstrode said. "But they'll come back eventually, right? Either that or they'll catch them. And the moment they do . . . " Even though Lena couldn't physically hear the girl's shrill laughter, it still chilled her to the bone.

"Who _cares_ ," Malfoy said, perhaps a bit nervously. Lena arched her brow — she had always assumed that Draco Malfoy was one of the major leaders of the Death Eater network inside the castle, and yet there was very little to him that might give off the idea that he had anything to do with it. There were circles underneath his eyes, and his usually neat clothes were a bit of a mess, which made her think that he probably hadn't bothered cleaning them for the past couple of days. "I'm off to bed. Just — shut up, the lot of you. The Carrows told us not to tell anyone about what happened today."

And with that, the boy stormed downstairs to his dormitory. His friends shared equally perplexed looks, but then proceeded to happily discuss how Lord Voldemort had taken control of the government over the past few months, and how their new Dark Arts class was _way_ more interesting than the previous one.

 _I can't believe these kids_ , Lena signaled, shaking her head. _Sure, a few of our Housemates were a little stuck up . . . but they're just downright evil. I can't believe people actually acted this way and got away with it_.

Calvin just shrugged in a glum gesture and frowned a little. He _was_ one of those stuck up Slytherins, he knew that much. But he was finally beginning to get a grasp of what some of their teammates thought he _really_ was — a wizard with similar leanings to the ones that were trying to be imposed by Voldemort and his followers, and who might as well betray them at some point and join his ranks in the blink of an eye. Sure, his family was very traditional and his parents might have agreed with Voldemort's predicaments back in the day, but Calvin wanted to believe that he had nothing to do with him — and yet he dreaded the way he had unconsciously looked down on other Hogwarts students in the past just because of their blood status, or how his hatred of Jimmy might have stemmed from the fact that he had been able to become such a skilled wizard when he hadn't grown up in a magical environment. Perhaps he wasn't so different from the students who claimed to have cast a _Crucio_ curse on a group of fourteen-year-olds earlier that day. Was he? He really needed to stop thinking for a bit.

But then he heard a conversation that was going on in hushed whispers behind him, and everything changed.

"We've got to meet him tomorrow at two."

"Tomorrow at two? I'm meant to be in Charms class then."

"Don't be such a _baby_."

"I'm not entirely sure about this, that's all."

"D'you wanna stay in school for another year? I thought you wanted to fight those Muggle-loving gits too, mate."

"I do! It's just that — well, I don't know."

"Then it's settled. We'll meet up with him and see what he's got to offer."

Calvin glanced at the two boys discreetly. They both had jet black hair and wore matching Slytherin uniforms, although one was taller than the other — he immediately assumed that they must be brothers because of how the taller boy used a somewhat paternal tone all through the conversation. He recognized him from a couple of his classes, so he must be a Sixth Year too. His brother, lankier and shorter, couldn't be any older than thirteen or fourteen. The older boy stood up and ruffled his brother's hair before going downstairs.

"Hey, what're you lookin' at?" The younger boy questioned, a firmer tone suddenly taking hold of his voice.

"Nothing, mate," Calvin said, feigning the calmest tone that he could muster.

"Good, 'cause s'none of your business," the boy mumbled as he stood up and quickly followed his older brother. He flashed one last mistrusting glance towards Calvin before disappearing down the stairs. Calvin, on the other hand, turned to face Lena, who was now looking at him with a questioning look on her face, and waited a few seconds before signaling.

 _I think I've found a way to track the leaders of the network down_.

* * *

Sunday afternoons were usually Simon's favourite time of the week ever since he first got to Hogwarts. He loved taking a book outside and reading all afternoon with his two best friends sitting by his side, either reading too or playing card games or chatting about pretty much anything that might be going on in their lives. Elodie had told him that it probably wasn't a good idea to bring his Muggle novels with them to a time when everything Muggle-related was deeply prosecuted by a part of the staff of the school, but he simply couldn't leave for a whole year and not bring his favourite books with him, so he ended up packing a very tight selection that included _Les Misérables_ , _War and Peace_ , _The Talented Mr. Ripley_ and a few more books that he simply couldn't live without.

That afternoon, however, he hadn't felt like he needed to bring a book with him. Luna, Elodie and Brooklyn had popped up at his dormitory and asked if he felt like going outside for a bit, to which he quickly said yes. A bright, cloudless autumn afternoon was a rather rare sight in the Scottish Highlands, and he figured he'd rather spend it with them than stay inside, rolling his eyes at how unbelievably annoying most of his roommates were. Neville and Ginny had quickly tagged along too, and Maggie and Jimmy decided that it'd be fun to hang out with the six of them as well. Simon couldn't help but relish in the idea that Maggie, who had always seemed to be way out of his league, was increasingly beginning to spend time with him and his friends. Even if she didn't like him that way, he still loved having her around.

"Ah, _now_ this is nice," Jimmy said as he leaned on the freshly mowed lawn that surrounded the lake, where the eight of them had decided to spend the afternoon. He even yawned a little before adding, "It almost feels like, y'know, a normal school year."

"Yeah," Neville agreed. "I still miss Ron and Harry and Hermione, but yeah."

"It's probably the best day we've had in ages," Ginny said as she tied her hair up in a bun. When she noticed that Brooklyn was looking at it in a sort of longing way, she offered her a smile and said, "Got a pencil? I'll do it for you if you want." Brooklyn nodded enthusiastically and scrambled in her bag for one of her older pencils, then handed it to Ginny. The Gryffindor then proceeded to gracefully tying her hair up in a tight bun, then neatly pierced it with the pencil. "Done!"

"Ginny always makes the best buns," Luna said, a bright smile on her face as she braided her hair.

"So," Jimmy said casually, trying not to sound too obvious. "There's this thing that we heard about the other day — one hears a lot of stuff around the corridors as of lately — about a group of Slytherins who are recruiting younger students for them to become potential Death Eaters or at least You-Know-Who's allies, should they ever find themselves in the need of battling, well, us. Do you know anything about it?"

Neville tilted his head a little in a thoughtful manner, then shook his head. "No, I don't think so. Were they serious, though? Most of the Slytherins are ecstatic about what's been going on lately . . . perhaps they were simply trying to scare other students?"

"Nah, I don't think so," Maggie said before placing a little flower on Brooklyn's new bun. Simon couldn't help but smile at the gesture. "Those _connards_ are mental. They're pretty serious about anything involving You-Know-Who, don't you think?"

"Maggie's got a point," agreed Ginny. "It wouldn't strike me as a surprise if they were trying to recruit children."

"I'm just saying that we should get ready and try to figure out who is in charge of it," Jimmy insisted, shrugging his shoulders a little. "Just in case we ever need to fight them back directly."

"Yeah," Neville mused thoughfully as he plucked a few weeds in an absentminded manner. "I — I just don't know if we're going to be able to do anything about it."

"Of course we are," Simon said, trying to sound as optimistic as possible. "You three fought with the Order at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, right? And you're all in . . . " The Ravenclaw bit his lip when Elodie smacked his arm quietly, realizing that Dumbledore's Army was supposed to be a secret organization. "You're all in perfect shape and talented enough to fight them back, I mean. We all are, aren't we?"

"Yes, I think we are," Luna said, and then smiled towards Simon. "You're a very valuable asset to our team, Simon Wright."

"Yeah, he totally is," agreed Maggie, wrapping an arm around Simon's shoulders in a friendly manner. His cheeks instantly turned a dark red as he mumbled something about not being that great. Brooklyn and Elodie just exchanged a knowing glance and even giggled a little at their friend's reaction.

"You're probably right, Simon," Neville said. There was still a hint of doubt in his voice, but he ended up offering the Ravenclaw a kind smile. "It's great that we've gotten to know you all better this year."

" _Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness_ ," quoted Luna, her expression still as absentminded as always.

"Anne Frank, right?" Simon said, a sheepish smile on his face. He had never thought that a girl like Luna Lovegood, born and raised in a perfectly Wizarding family, would take an interest to Muggle novels, particularly those that narrated something as distant to the Wizarding World as the struggle of a young teenager while in hiding during the Second World War.

"My mum read it to me sometimes," Luna said simply, shrugging her shoulders. "She loved Muggle books, although we never really knew how or where to find them after she died. She got most of them from her father — he was a Muggle-born, I think."

"I brought a few Muggle novels with me!" The boy replied brightly. "I can lend them to you if you want."

"Hey, could I read one of those two?" asked Maggie curiously. "I've never really read any Muggle novels. Probably because Jimmy here doesn't really _do_ reading, to be honest."

"Hey, I do read," Jimmy said defensively, swatting his best friend's shoulder. "I — I read that book on werewolves last year, remember?"

"I meant _fiction_ books, Marston," Maggie said, poking his nose in return. "For _fun_. Not because of a Defense Against the Dark Arts assignment."

"Well, I _did_ read most of Enid Blyton's novels growing up," the boy said defensively.

"Who's Enid Blyton?" Ginny asked curiously. "I've never heard of him. Or her."

"It's, uh, she's a Muggle author," Jimmy said quickly. He then elaborated, "My mum's a Muggle-born, so."

"Oh," Ginny pursed her lips and patted his shoulder in a comforting manner. "I really hope she's fine, Jim. I — I mean, I've no Muggle-born relatives, but Hermione and Dean Thomas — well, they are, and I really miss them."

"Yeah," Jimmy said, a little awkwardly. He generally hated lying, but it felt too risky to tell their new friends the truth about his blood status. "I — well, it just doesn't make _sense_."

"Yes," Maggie said, nodding her head. "Some of the brightest wizards and witches that I know are Muggle-borns." She glanced towards Simon for a second, and the boy had to duck his head to prevent his cheeks from turning a bright red once again.

"Exactly," Neville agreed. "I just hope that they're fine."

"I'm sure they are," Elodie said encouragingly, and even squeezed Neville's hand a little. "They'll be back in a heartbeat, you'll see."

Neville's expression seemed to relax after that. The boy flipped through the Herbology textbook that he had brought with him absentmindedly, glancing at his new friends from time to time. Jimmy whistled to a Muggle song distractedly, and Simon found himself humming along, which amused Maggie, Elodie and Ginny to no end. Luna and Brooklyn began to exchange little anecdotes on their childhoods, and the silver-haired girl couldn't help but marvel at how humble Brooklyn was about every single achievement in her life. The eight of them were very different, and yet they had somehow managed to click together fairly well in the span of a few weeks. It _did_ feel a little weird to have suddenly become friends with their Herbology teacher, but they had soon discovered that he was just about one of the boldest human beings that they'd ever come across, and so were his two closest friends. Simon momentarily thought about how it was rather unfair that they were barely remembered or discussed when it came to studying the Second Wizarding War — Harry Potter had been its main protagonist, yes, but his friends who stayed at Hogwarts and bravely defied Snape and the Carrows for an entire year weren't any less than him. He felt a deep admiration towards him, and couldn't help but wonder if _he_ would have been as brave as they were if he had really been a Hogwarts student back then.

But then again, they _were_ going through the same things than them. Simon just hoped to be brave enough when the time came.

* * *

 _So . . . not much to say tbh, but at least the kiddos have gotten their exploration going and have managed to bond with the Silver Trio fairly well, right? Stay tuned for more — it may seem as though not much has happened yet, but I promise there's loads to come! :D_


	9. Tying Knots

_i wake up to the rhythm of the city  
and i try to remember_  
 _even my brothers have some trouble with each other_  
 _sometimes things fall apart_  
 _it's the way that things are_

 **blue coupe - twin peaks**

* * *

When Alex and Caroline left the Room of Requirement after their weekly meeting was over, Kanon found herself being unable to breathe.

She wasn't unfamiliar with panick attacks. She had suffered quite a few of them ever since she was a little girl, mainly due to the way her mother treated her and her siblings. The tight feeling inside her chest and the way her eyes became teary as she took uneven, shaky breaths were old acquaintances of hers, and it even felt a little strange when she went through a long period of time without suffering from them. She covered her face with her hands, tried to stabilize her breathing, and curled herself into a ball on the floor when she thought all of her teammates were gone.

"Kanon, sweetie? What's the matter?"

She momentarily looked up and found that Thea was kneeling beside her, a deeply concerned look on her face. Celine was standing behind her, her arms crossed and her brow furrowed in an expression that noted both concern and a certain knowledge to what Kanon was currently going through.

"I — I don't know," Kanon said softly, hiccuping a little. "I — I don't know if we're gonna make it back. I don't know if I'm good at fighting, or if I _want_ to be good at it. I — I — I miss my siblings and my Dad, but I don't want to go home."

"C'mon, darling," Thea said sweetly as she took a seat beside her. "Everything's fine, I promise. Calvin and Lena are going to take care of tracking those Death Eaters down and then we'll fight them all together and go home. That's it, all right?"

"Besides," Celine said, taking a seat to her other side — which did come off as a surprise, because Kanon had always regarded Celine as a somewhat aloof girl. However, she then offered her the most genuine smile that she had ever seen. "We're all trying our best. We all excel at very different things, and _you're_ great at bringing us all together and proving that we _can_ work as a team. You're allowed to feel down, Kanon, but you can't belittle yourself. You might not be the fighting type, and that's great. Not all of us have to go about hexing Slytherins — that's Marston's job. The rest of us just sort of, well, do our own thing, and we're all great at it."

Thea nodded and wrapped an arm around Kanon, who still quivered lightly even though she was trying her hardest to stabilize her breath. "Celine's absolutely right, Kan. Just relax, take a few deep breaths and . . . we'll stay here with you for as long as you want, all right?"

"Thanks," she whispered, rubbing her eye to clear the tears away. "I — nobody had really _cared_ for me until now, aside from Alex and Carol."

"We're all supposed to help each other now," Celine said kindly, even going as far as rubbing Kanon's arm a little. "We're here for you, and you'll be there for us too, I know that much. Don't worry at all."

Kanon ducked her head, her breath slowly going back to its normal rhythm, and she finally squeezed the girls' hands quietly. "Thank you. It means _a lot_ to me that you decided to stay, and I mean it."

"What were we gonna do, leave you here?" scoffed Celine, shaking her head a little. Her tone, however, wasn't half as sharp as it usually was. "We're in this together. Alex and Caroline aren't your only friends here."

Kanon smiled and turned to give the girl a light hug — which caught Celine a bit offguard, because she wasn't used to physical contact with people unless they were extremely close to her. But then again, they _were_ each other's only reliable 'friends' at the moment. She patted her back, a little awkwardly, and smiled at Thea in a triumphant gesture. "There, there."

"Well, now that you're feeling a little better," Thea said. "Alex told me the kitchen house elves are _extremely_ fond of you . . . perhaps we could go ask them if they'd be able to spare a tray of biscuits or two? I feel like we're more than allowed to take the afternoon off."

"Sure thing," Kanon giggled, nodding her head. She then gave the Gryffindor another hug before standing up and beaming down at her two new friends. "Let's go, shall we?"

Celine mumbled something about how they should probably meet Simon and Alex at the library, because the two boys had been assigned to go there together in order to find out more things about Lord Voldemort's antics and the Order, mainly through a bunch of textbooks that Calvin had neatly noted down for them. Jimmy had been invited by Ginny and Luna to join them for a Care of Magical Creatures study session, and the boy had obviously agreed to go; Calvin and Niko had claimed to be busy studying for an upcoming Alchemy test and had rushed off as soon as the meeting was over. Caroline, Bobby and Lena had decided that they would patrol around the castle for a bit, whereas Maggie, Elodie and Brooklyn decided that they'd go for a walk through the fields just in case something was going on there. Which left the three of them with no tasks assigned and a free evening lying ahead of them.

* * *

"Okay, but seriously — you two are _hilarious_. How come we never even talked before . . . well, before we came here?"

Maggie wiped a small tear away from her eye as a result from the laughter that had exhilaratingly left her body as Elodie told her of the time she accidentally engorged one of her classmates' head in Primary school, way before she realized she was a witch. The two girls were taking a walk through the school fields along with Brooklyn, just as they had agreed to do during the meeting with the rest of their teammates. Elodie never thought she and her two best friends would end up becoming so close to a girl like Maggie, who was usually the epitome of extroversion and popularity, but the truth was that she was probably the member of their team that she had ended up appreciating the most.

"I was too busy keeping my nose stuck in a book, sorry," Elodie joked.

"I can't believe I'm now friends with a Prefect," Maggie said, shaking her head. "My _papa_ would be so proud. Mind you, he loves Jimmy, but he's always complaining about how I should hang out with _des personnes plus sérieuses_." She imitated her father's southern French accent, which had the other two girls giggling in a matter of seconds.

"Bold of you to assume that we're _serious people_ ," Brooklyn giggled, shaking her head. "I mean, we've good grades and all, but you should see Simon when he's in his pyjamas, playing around with his cat or listening to his Muggle music. Oh, and Elodie's dramatic readings of our textbooks are _hilarious_ too."

"Gee, now I wish I had been sorted into Ravenclaw," Maggie joked. "Not that I'm not absolutely in love with my House, obviously, but you three are such great fun. I wish I'd known you from the very beginning."

"Well, better late than never, innit?" Elodie said, a half-smile forming on her face. "Besides, I feel like Simon _loves_ having you — "

The girl froze on her feet when she heard a hushed voice coming from the edge of the Forbidden Forest. They had been so immersed in their conversation that they had lost track on the path that they were supposed to follow, and they were now well past Hagrid's hut and on their way to entering the Forest, which was strictly forbidden to all students (hence the name, Simon would have noted). That obviously included the voices that had called out two indiscernible names before rushing into the forest.

"What _was_ that?" Brooklyn whispered, her expression a lot more serious now.

"I don't know," Elodie replied quietly. "I think I saw a couple of students, but I'm not sure."

Before either of them could decide what to do, Maggie had already set foot in the direction that the supposed students had followed only a few seconds ago.

"Maggie, what are you doing?" Elodie hushed, but followed her nevertheless.

"I mean, we gotta figure out what's going on," Maggie said simply, her tone surprisingly serious. "What if it's related to our mission?"

Brooklyn and Elodie glanced at each other and then nodded at their friend's words, following her into the forest quietly. The three girls made their way among the trees quietly but steadily, trying to make as little noise as possible. They could still hear a small chorus of voices echoing a few yards in front of them, but they were too far away to understand what they were saying.

"What if the Carrows are involved?" Brooklyn whispered suddenly. "We could get into _real_ trouble. We could compromise the entire mission, actually."

"Look, we've got to take some risks," Maggie said. "We're going to end up doing so sooner or — "

The girl fell silent when she heard how the unknown students' voices became clearer, their words slowly becoming understandable for them. Maggie hid behind a tree, and motioned for Elodie and Brooklyn to do the same thing before they got any closer.

"The Dark Lord will be proud of us, I'm sure of that," a voice said, followed by a mischievous laugh.

"It's about time we fight those _mudbloods_ and blood-traitors," another voice agreed, his tone as humourous as the first one. "I'm ready to leave all this tosh behind and go join him."

"We all are, Horst," an older, more mature voice said. "He is waiting for us, don't you ever doubt that. But we've got to make sure you are _all_ willing to give your life for the cause. We don't want a half-assed idealism, we want _conviction_. The lot of you must be willing to give your blood and sacrifice your youths for a better tomorrow. Now, _are_ you ready for it?"

The small crowd cheered enthusiastically. Maggie tried peering at them, but she could only see a group of hooded students, most of them wearing Slytherin cloaks. She was surprised to see that they weren't the only ones involved in the scheme, though — she could see a couple of Ravenclaws amongst the group, and even a Hufflepuff whose rosy cheeks shone under the hood of his cloak. She couldn't tell whether the boy was excited or scared.

"Some of you have been following us since the very beginning," the older voice continued. "But some of you have joined us very recently, which obviously makes us question how far you're willing to go for the Dark Lord. That's why we're forced to question your loyalty at this point — _are_ you willing to die for him, to give your last breath for a better world, with Muggles as our subordinates and mudbloods wiped from the surface of the Earth?"

"Yes, I am," a firm voice said. Maggie gasped and had to cover her mouth — she recognized it immediately.

"Me too," echoed another voice. She had to bite her lower lip — she knew that voice, too.

"Good," the other voice said, a haughty tone to his words. "We're ready to go then. And remember — do _not_ let anyone know about our meetings. If we find out you've been discussing it with external people, you shall get in _serious_ trouble."

A few students whispered indiscernible words to each other, and then all the three girls could hear were footsteps slowly shuffling away from their meeting place. Maggie waited for a few minutes until the last student had left, then collapsed to her feet and covered her face with her hands, slowly running her fingertips through the roots of her hair.

"What's wrong, Mags?" Elodie said worriedly, her eyebrows arched in confusion and shock from what they had just heard. She hadn't really paid attention to any of the voices — she was too busy trying to hold herself from hexing the entire group of students that they were supposed to spy on.

"You — you didn't recognize them?" the girl asked quietly, still unable to look up to her friends. She furiously rubbed her fist against her eye, feeling increasingly frustrated with every second that went by.

"What? Who were we supposed to recognize?" Brooklyn replied as she kneeled and placed a hand on Maggie's shoulder. "You're _livid_ , Mags. What did you hear?"

Maggie gulped, then ducked her head as she whispered the words that she had hoped not to have to pronounce.

"Calvin and Niko were among them. I don't know what the hell they're up to, but they were _there_."

* * *

 _Dun dun dun! I love cliffhangers, ha. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter — the drrrrama's just begun, hah. As always, stay tuned for more!_


	10. Something Wicked This Way Comes

_and every demon wants his pound of flesh_  
 _but i like to keep some things to myself_  
 _i like to keep my issues strong_  
 _it's always darkest before the dawn_

 **shake it out - florence + the machine**

* * *

Elodie couldn't believe her ears when she heard Celine's argument against telling the rest of the group what had happened in the Forbidden Forest the previous night.

"What are you even talking about!" The girl exclaimed. "You weren't even there! You don't know what happened — _we_ do, and if you'd seen the look on Maggie's face you'd know that something was _very_ wrong with those two. They might be good at acting, but not _that_ good."

"Oh, so the two of them do _exactly_ what's been demanded of them, which is to befriend their fellow Housemates in order to figure out who's involved in the organization that we're supposed to bring down, and they're suddenly part of the enemy?" Celine deadpanned, rolling her eyes. "Don't be _ridiculous_ , Elodie."

"I'm with Elodie here," Jimmy said, in a serious tone that hardly matched his usual easy-going attitude. "I mean, I know we're supposed to trust each other and all, but — dammit, I haven't believed a word that's come out of Calvin's mouth ever since we first got here. There's something off about him, and it wouldn't surprise me if he had somehow dragged Niko along with him."

"I still can't believe this," Bobby said quietly, shaking his head a little. His relationship with Niko and Calvin wasn't as close as Jimmy and Maggie's or Elodie, Brooklyn and Simon's, but he still trusted them and didn't really want to believe what their teammates were telling them. The worst of it was, however, that something in his gut told him that it _could_ be true after all. "I mean, their blood status has nothing to do with this. Sure, Cal's family is pretty traditional, but . . . "

"But what? Jolly, Bob, I feel like he's about to spit at me half of the time," Jimmy argued, his brow creased and his hands anxiously tapping the wall of the Room of Requirement, where the twelve of them had agreed to meet first thing in the morning after Elodie, Maggie and Brooklyn came rushing back to the school the previous night.

 _It's not because of his blood status, though_ , Lena signaled, and Bobby quickly translated for the members of the group who didn't quite know BSL yet. _I'm a Muggle-born too, and he's one of my best friends. I fully trust him_.

"You still didn't see what we saw," Maggie said defensively, her arms still tightly crossed around her chest. There was an uneasy gesture to the way she moved, which was a rather uncommon attitude in her. "We — they were _ready_ to fight. Willing to give their lives for You-Know-Who. I've never seen anyone so bloodthirsty, so . . . _angered_. And yeah, perhaps Calvin and Niko are a part of it after all. Perhaps they're not. But I think the rest of us should do something about the information they receive from us in the meantime."

"What, so you want us to _lie_ to them?" Caroline scoffed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, but this is insane. As Celine pointed out, it _was_ their job to infiltrate among the students who could potentially become Death Eaters. The fact that they come from a conservative family doesn't mean _shit_ , and they . . . well, _we_ shouldn't be held accountable for what our relatives did in the past _all the fucking time_."

"Caroline has a point," Kanon said in a quieter tone. "I mean, I don't know them that much, but . . . I don't think they're the kind of people who would put _that_ much effort into helping You-Know-Who. It's just not worth their time, I think."

Alex nodded next to her, but said nothing. Thea and Simon simply shared a look and shrugged their shoulders, looking rather unsure of what to say. Simon _did_ think that both Caroline and Celine had a point — but voicing it out loud would have meant confronting his two best friends and Maggie directly, which was just about the last thing he would ever want to do.

The three girls, however, were still adamant about what they had seen the previous night.

"It's just — there was this tone in their voices — " Maggie said, perhaps a bit too nervously, and then bit her lip. " _Putain_ , what if we're stuck in 1997 with two traitors."

 _Hey, don't call them that_ , Lena signaled, annoyance visible on her face.

"Look," Bobby said, sighing a little. "I know it probably isn't the best way to put it, but — are you sure you're not making that _tone_ up in your head because of some unconscious bigotry towards Slytherins that apparently runs in your House since, well, forever?"

"That's _ridiculous_ , mate," Jimmy scoffed — precisely because Bobby had been smart enough to point out one of Jimmy's biggest flaws. "We don't hate you people by default or something like that. I like you, and I like Lena. Hell, I even liked Niko before this. But I know a prick when I see one — and bloody Calvin's been acting like one since we first met."

 _Oh my gosh, these two_ really _need to get the sexual tension sorted out_ , Lena signaled, and when Bobby realized what she had just said he couldn't help but chuckle a little in spite of the current situation. Simon, who had managed to learn the rudiments of BSL over the past few weeks, laughed a little too.

"Anyway," Celine said, directing a sharp glare towards Elodie. "Since we're a _team_ and there's twelve of us, I think that it'd be best if we talked our way out of this instead of blindly following what Miss I-Am-Always-Right here thinks about it."

"Merlin's sake," Elodie said, her cheeks turning a bright red. " _Fuck_ you, Celine. You know what? Fuck you! You're just jealous because — because — " the girl fumbled for her wand, but gave up eventually. Still, she glared towards the other girl like there was no tomorrow, and even stood up from the stool that Simon had offered her when they first entered the room.

"Oh, _I'm_ jealous?" Celine replied, her cheeks heating up a little as well. "You're the one who regards me as a constant _threat_ , dear. I wonder why? Oh, probably because you know _I_ deserved that bloody Prefect pin. You can't even think straight when you're in charge of things, Merlin's sake!"

" _Please_ don't make this about the Prefect thing again," Brooklyn muttered, shaking her head a little.

"Oh, I don't know, Celine! Perhaps I met Headmistress McGonagall's criteria better than _you_ did, because spoiled twats do tend to make awful Prefects, you know!"

"You did _not_ just say that, you bloody — "

By the time that both girls had pulled out their wands and were already facing each other, Caroline and Thea had quickly gotten between them and were each holding one of the girls by the shoulders.

"Calm — down — " Caroline said through pants as she pushed Elodie back onto her stool and quickly took her wand. She then turned around and took Celine's wand from her hand before the girl could complain about it. "What the _hell_ , you two. I — I can't believe you're acting like this! We're supposed to work together, and to figure things out in a civilized way if we're ever in disagreement. Don't just, I don't know, insult each other and then pull your wands out like you're gonna start a bloody duel right here."

"I can't stand her," Celine mumbled, shaking her head a little.

"Well, the rest of us don't give a _damn_ whether you like her or not, so for the time being you're going to have to suck it up and act like a decent human being around her," Caroline turned around and pointed at Elodie with a firm finger. "And the same goes for you. A Prefect should know better than to pull out a wand and insult someone who's in disagreement with them, Elodie."

"She's been questioning me and my beliefs ever since we got here," Elodie breathed, leaning against Maggie's shoulder ever so lightly. "I'm _tired_ of her not believing us just because she's got something against me."

"I'm not saying I don't believe you," Celine snapped back. "I just said that I find it hard to believe that Calvin and Niko would suddenly switch sides like that when we've gotten to know them fairly well over the last few weeks. Why can't you just _trust_ them? You'd trust Simon or Brooklyn or Maggie or Kanon or Alex if they suddenly went like, 'you know what! I feel like becoming friends with all these little Death Eaters and see what they're up to!'"

Elodie pursed her lips, but ultimately said nothing. An awkward silence filled the room for a few seconds until Simon finally said, in a low tone, "I just feel like taking sides isn't the way out of this. We shouldn't have to _choose_ who we want to believe, but what we should do in order to find out the truth. I firmly believe Maggie's story." At that point Celine snorted a little, which made Simon frown. "But I don't think it necessarily means that Calvin and Niko have betrayed us. I feel like someone who's close to them should talk to them in private and see what they've got to say, and then we'll decide what to do next. One step at a time."

"Simon's absolutely right," Thea said, nodding her head. "We can't judge them without allowing them to explain themselves first. Maybe they're just gathering information for us."

"I could talk to them," Bobby offered. "Well, Lena and I could. Later today. I'd let you all know what they tell us tonight or tomorrow morning, obviously."

"Yes, that's probably the fairest thing to do," agreed Alex. A moment later, Caroline and Kanon nodded in conformity.

Maggie huffed a little, but ultimately nodded her head too. "All right. Innocent until proven guilty and all that, I guess."

"They _do_ deserve the benefit of the doubt after all they've done for us," Brooklyn agreed, although there was something in her voice that made her sound slightly hesitant.

"All right. Sure." Elodie said finally, her eyes still averted and her arms crossed. Simon placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder, but the girl brushed it off quietly.

"Well," Jimmy sighed, still unsure of the whole idea. "Yeah, all right."

"Great," Bobby said as he stood up. "I'll let you know as soon as I've talked to them. Should we meet here, say, around eight o'clock tonight?"

Everyone quickly agreed to Bobby's idea and, after saying rushed goodbyes, left in the usual small groups. Elodie, Brooklyn and Maggie were the first ones to leave, still visibly upset about the outcome of the meeting, and Jimmy and Simon were quick to follow them out of the room. Kanon and Caroline patted Celine's shoulder in a comforting manner, and told the girl that they'd make it up to her somehow. Thea quickly chimed in and offered to show them a secret passageway to the greenhouses that nearly no-one knew about, and in a few minutes they were gone too. Alex flashed an apologetical smile towards Lena and Bobby and mumbled something about how he had a Herbology essay due that very same afternoon and should probably get some of it done, leaving the room a few seconds later. The two Slytherins shared a knowing look once they were on their own.

 _You don't think they're capable of betraying us, do you?_ Bobby signaled.

Lena shook her head firmly. _I know them. I'd trust Calvin with my life._

Bobby sighed. How he wished his friend was right about the whole thing.

* * *

Calvin and Niko were sitting together on the couch, discussing their last Transfiguration assignment, when Bobby and Lena entered the common room.

"Hey," Niko said, a calm expression on his face. He even waved a little at the two of them as they approached the couch. "Where were you? We couldn't find you anywhere after breakfast."

"I, er, had to meet up with Simon and Maggie and Elodie because I couldn't crack a translation for our Ancient Runes assignment," Bobby said quickly, shrugging his arms. He then jerked his thumb at Lena. "Lena here was busy too, I think." The girl nodded her head quietly, unable to elaborate on Bobby's lie at the moment.

"Oh, yeah, that's all right," Niko said, nodding. He didn't seem to mind the fact that his two friends were acting a little odd about what they had been up to over the last few hours — but then again, he trusted them so much that he would have been unable to suspect that they could be lying to them. "Cal and I just hung out together all morning, so."

"That's good." Bobby pursed his lips, unsure of what to say. He sat cross-legged in front of them, his back leaning against the coffee table, and Lena quickly followed suit. "Well, I — we were sort of wondering — where _were_ you two yesterday night? I had to go to bed on my own." He intended for his words to come off as casual and unelaborated, but the truth was that he had been mulling them over ever since they left the Room of Requirement.

Calvin and Niko shared a look, and then the former said simply, "We went to the Quidditch field for a bit. We were talking about how we miss flying so very much, and we sort of ended up there after dinner."

Now it was Bobby and Lena's turn to share a conspicuous look. "Really? That's funny. Maggie told me earlier today that she thought she'd seen you two around the Forbidden Forest."

 _With a small group of Slytherins that obviously didn't include us two_ , Lena added, a serious expression visible on her face.

Calvin remained silent for a second, shared a look with Niko, and then said assertively, "Let's discuss this in our dormitory."

Bobby frowned a little, but nodded and stood up and then helped Lena to her feet too. The other two Slytherins shared a knowing glance, and then set foot towards their dormitory without saying a word. Upon their arrival, Niko took a seat on his bed, right in front of Bobby's, where Lena and the boy had taken a seat too. Calvin closed the door behind them and sat cross-legged on the green-and-silver carpet that divided both beds, a wry expression on his lips and his arms awkwardly wrapped around his own chest in a rather protective manner.

"All right," Niko said carefully, his serious tone far from his usual goofy attitude. "We — we've become friends with a group from our Potions class. We overheard him discussing something about You-Know-Who during an in-class assignment, and we figured they might know something about the Death Eater network that we're supposed to bring down and whatnot."

"So we approached them, and quickly found out that they're . . . well, not the brightest lights in the Christmas tree," Calvin continued. "They're definitely involved in it, though, so we figured we should attend this meeting that they held yesterday night in the forest. Their leaders weren't there, but their mission was to recruit new members and make them vow their loyalty to the Dark Lord. Which we did, obviously," the boy shrugged his shoulders as though he had just told them about how he had treated a rash on his arm. "So yes, it's going to come in pretty handy for our mission, because we might end up getting to know the leaders — I was just telling Niko about how we could simply cast a couple memory spells on the lot of them and that'd be it."

"And we even talked a Fourth Year out of joining them after the meeting," Niko added, a defensive edge that didn't escape Bobby's ears to his words. "He was pretty gullible, but it still felt great to, you know, convince him that he shouldn't join them."

Bobby and Lena seemed to mull their speech over for a few seconds. The boy tapped on his quilt absentmindedly, whereas Lena traced distracted circles on her uniform skirt. She finally signaled, albeit reluctantly, _You're not_ actually _helping them, are you?_

Calvin blinked several times, visibly perplexed by his friend's question. _Why would we? Aren't we supposed to defeat them?_

 _Well, yes_ , Lena signaled quickly. _But . . . I don't know, we just thought that you might have reconsidered your options and . . . well, I don't know_.

"You two don't believe us," Niko mused incredulously. There was a deep frown on his face. "Do you _really_ think us capable of betraying the entire group? Merlin's sake, Bob, I thought you knew us better than that."

Bobby's cheeks turned a bright red. "I _do_! I promise, I really do. I just — when Maggie told us that you were hanging out with a bunch of Death Eaters, well, it just sounded a little off. Besides, why didn't you tell us straightaway?"

"Precisely because we knew that Marston and Arsenau would react _that_ way," Calvin scoffed, shaking his head. "Honestly, Bobby, I'd expect them to think we've suddenly decided to join the Dark Side, being as daft as they are — but _you_ two?" There was hurt in his tone, which caught Bobby offguard. He had known Calvin for over six years now, and even though he had seen him in pretty much every state a human being can go through, he had never seen or heard him act truly _hurt_. Lena must have noticed it too, because her lips twitched guiltily as soon as her best friend spoke.

 _I'm so sorry, Cal_ , she quickly signaled. _I didn't want to be suspicious, but the fact that you never told me about it did dishearten me a little_.

 _We were going to tell you all once we had solid information_ , Calvin signaled, a disappointed look on his face. _They refuse to reveal any names over their meetings, so we haven't really been able to frame anyone aside from those nutters from our class. And they're not that relevant within the group anyway_.

"I'm sorry too," Bobby said finally as he scratched his cheek awkwardly. He then glanced towards Niko, whose expression denoted a clear let-down as well. "I — we should tell the others, all right? We'll meet up with them later today and explain everything. I'm sure they'll understand."

"Whatever," Calvin huffed as he rose to his feet. "I don't care. I'm going to the library."

 _Can I go with you?_ Lena asked, but ducked her head when her friend shook his head firmly.

"I'll go with you," Niko said quietly. "Gotta finish my Transfiguration essay."

"Sure," mumbled Bobby, looking visibly ashamed by the time his two friends reached the door. "I — I'm so sorry, really. If you do feel like coming to the meeting, meet us in the Room of Requirement at eight o'clock, please. We'll be there to support you, regardless of what Jimmy or Maggie or any of them may say. But really, I don't know what got into us earlier — it's just the pressure of being stuck here without knowing what to do or if we're even tackling the problem correctly. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mistrusted you."

"Yeah," Niko said absentmindedly as he flung his schoolbag over his shoulders, not really listening to his best friend's distressed apologies. He took a deep breath before adding through the corner of his mouth, his lips twitched in a sad smile, "Don't worry, we're not going to tell You-Know-Who or anything."

And with that the two of them left the room, leaving Lena and Bobby to their guilt and worry.

* * *

 _Oooooh, good auld drama. Hope you enjoyed this chapter — there's a lot of drama coming up in the following one too, so stay tuned. Also — I'm going to be away for a few days because I'm going over to Edinburgh to visit one of my school friends who's studying there, so I don't think I'll be able to have the next chapter done before next Wednesday or so. So yeah! I'm loving writing this story so far though, and I can't wait to explore more of the conflict that's to come and to flesh them all out a little more, so you're going to have to bear with me for a little longer. :-)_


	11. Making Up, Breaking Down

_and if you'd took to me like a_  
 _gull takes to the wind_  
 _oh, i'd a-jumped from my trees_  
 _and i'd a-danced like the king of the eyesores_  
 _and the rest of our lives would have fared well_

 **new slang - the shins**

* * *

Contrary to what most of the group believed after Bobby and Lena told them what had happened a few hours ago, Calvin and Niko _did_ agree to show up to the meeting after all — but the latter regretted their decision as soon as they walked into the Room of Requirement.

Bobby and Lena greeted them with kind smiles, but that was about it. Jimmy was sitting on a turquoise puff that he had taken a liking to over the course of the weeks, and he didn't so much as greet them as they shuffled into the room, apparently too busy scrutinizing the stone wall right behind them. Maggie's acknowledging nod was visibly hostile, whereas Elodie simply remained silent, fidgeting with her uniform skirt. Brooklyn and Simon were sitting next to Lena, the former signaling something that Calvin didn't quite catch and the latter constantly gazing at Maggie and Elodie with a worried expression. He was, however, the first one to verbally greet them, and was quickly followed by a serious-looking but still cordial Celine.

"Hey, you two," Alex, sitting cross-legged in front of Jimmy and Maggie, even smiled kindly at the two of them, and so did Thea and Caroline, who were sitting beside him.

"I brought cookies," Kanon offered, a shy smile on her face. Calvin shook his head a little and stood still on the spot, his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed, but Niko accepted one with a small smile and whispered a quick 'thank you' to the girl. She then proceeded to take a seat next to her friends, knowing that she probably wouldn't be willing to intervene in the discussion that hung in the air, impregnating the room with a certain sense of impending doom.

"Well," Bobby coughed. "Lena and I talked to Calvin and Niko earlier today. And they — "

"It's all right, Bobby," Calvin said, his tone even but also extremely icy. He then glared directly towards Jimmy, who scoffed a little before he added, "We can handle this on our own."

"Yeah, I bet," Jimmy replied in a harsh tone, his gaze still averting Calvin's most of the time. "You must be _great_ at making up all sorts of lies, right? That's just the only logical way to explain all the bloody prejudices that you constantly project towards us, even though you claim to be the most liberal of Slytherins. My _arse_!" He had always been hostile towards Calvin, but he had never barked his thoughts at him like he was doing in that moment. Everyone sucked in a breath, some of them even recoiling in their seats.

Calvin, however, simply snorted. "That's rich coming from a world-class prejudiced _git_ ," the Slytherin retorted. His expression, however, still remained as calm as when he first came into the room. "Have you ever stopped to think that _you_ might be the one judging people before actually getting to know them?"

"Excuse _me_?" Jimmy said. He had lurched up from his seat, and his index finger was now pointing straight at Calvin's face. The freckles on his cheeks had now turned a blotchy red, his expression as angered as it could ever be. "You — bloody hell, you've no idea what being discriminated feels like. You're rich, you're a Pureblood, and I'm sure nobody's questioned your entire bloody existence just because of your sexual orientation. Fuck's sake, I doubt your parents have ever complained about you." He drew in a breath, suddenly self-conscious about every single word that he had just said, but stood in front of the Slytherin nevertheless.

"You'd be surprised," Calvin replied coldly, his eyes never quite looking away from Jimmy's. Everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath at what he may say next, but Calvin chose to ignore the fact that they weren't on their own. "You don't _know_ me, James. You have _no_ idea how I was brought up, and you have no idea how my parents feel about me or my sexual orientation. But you _don't_ want to know, do you? You're more than OK with pretending to know me just because of some stereotypical image of me that you've created for yourself, just to use me as your punching bag whenever you're feeling upset about all those insecurities building up in your head. Well, guess what? We _all_ have problems, and we've all been sent here to work together for a reason. So get your shit together and stop acting like a bloody arsehole for once."

At that point, Jimmy's face had turned a bright red, and Maggie had even stood up to prevent her friend from hitting Calvin in the face, as his clenched fist suggested he was about to do. However, the Gryffindor didn't move a muscle — he just stared at Calvin, his eyes narrowed and his teeth clenched, but ultimately averted his eyes and stormed out of the room without saying a word. The rest of the group remained silent, looking at each other in an ostensibly worried environment, and Calvin simply sighed a little and took a seat between Bobby and Niko.

"I'll go talk to him," Maggie said finally as she ran a hand through her hair, visibly anxious about what had just happened.

"No, I'll do it," Alex said quickly as he rose to his feet. He placed a hand on Maggie's shoulder and squeezed it a little. "No offense, Mags, I feel like he needs to vent it all out with someone else. You stay here and try to figure out what we should do next, all right?"

Maggie seemed to hesitate at first, but a supportive smile from Brooklyn made her retreat back to her seat and nod at Alex's words. "All right. Let me know how it goes, though."

"Sure thing," Alex offered her a kind smile before trotting behind Jimmy, the door closing quietly behind him a few seconds later.

"Well . . . " Caroline said a little awkwardly. "So. Calvin, Niko — I'd like to apologize. I think I can speak for the whole group when I say that a few of us were a little too quick to judge what we learned about you two earlier today, and we're all deeply sorry about it. Right?" All of them nodded quietly — even Maggie, who, albeit begrudgingly, mumbled something about having misjudged them when she saw them in the Forbidden Forest.

"We — well, I reckon we should've told you guys about it, too," Niko said quietly. "We just wanted to be sure, just in case the meeting became a sort of dead end or something like that. We didn't want to give the rest of you false hope, or to make you feel like we were, well, leading you on."

"Don't worry about it," Kanon said kindly. "It's not a big deal if we don't make it a big deal, right? We're all willing to let this whole matter go if you're ready to forgive us for misjudging your actions."

Calvin and Niko remained silent for a few seconds, but the latter finally said, "Yeah. We can work with that. Right, Calvin?"

"Yes," Calvin said, although there was something in his voice that made the rest of the group doubt that he actually meant it. "We're here to work together after all, so breaking up into sides would be a rather poor way of getting the job done."

"Exactly," Celine said, nodding her head. Caroline elbowed her ever so lightly, which made the Ravenclaw raise her eyebrows in a hesitant manner. However, she ended up getting on her feet and walking towards Elodie, encouraged by the three Seventh Year girls who had been sitting beside her until then.

"Hey, Elodie," her tone was a bit unsure, but she spoke as firmly as always. Celine was extremely good at voicing her thoughts, after all. "I — I'm sorry if I've ever said things that might have sounded hurtful to you. It's just that — well, it's pretty intimidating to be around someone like you, and it's just my coping mechanism, I guess. At least that's what Caroline said."

"I told her to be honest, but not _that_ honest," Caroline scoffed under her breath, but smiled nevertheless.

Elodie on the other hand blinked repeatedly, unsure of what to say. "I — am I intimidating?"

"Well, you can be from time to time," Simon said. There was, however, a friendly edge to his voice. "Especially when finals are coming up."

After swatting his arm ever so lightly, Elodie turned back to Celine. "No, but seriously — I'm sorry if I've ever been mean to you. I didn't do it on purpose — well, yeah, sometimes I did, but I was just a little scared of you. You're so serious and smart and . . . I don't know, perhaps a part of me thought you _do_ deserve to be a Prefect more than I do."

"It's not about that at all," Celine said, shaking her head. "It's just that I've always strived for perfection, I guess, and seeing that someone else took the spot that I had been aiming for made me feel insecure about my abilities. But it's no big deal, and it definitely isn't your fault that you got appointed, so like Calvin said I'm gonna have to 'get my shit together' for the rest of the group." The girl even smiled a little as she offered Elodie her hand. "So, are we good?"

Elodie observed the girl's hand, as though unsure of what to say, but eventually half-smiled and shook her hand. "We're good, yes."

"Thank Merlin," Brooklyn said jokingly. "It's going to be great, going to bed without the room feeling as tense as, I don't know, Simon before a Potions exam."

"Hey, you!" Simon replied, nudging her in the ribs. Even Maggie, in spite of what had happened earlier, allowed herself to giggle at the two Ravenclaws' friendly banter.

"This is so _moving_ ," Calvin mumbled to himself, still visibly agitated by his argument with Jimmy. Even though he tried not to look too affected by it, there was something itching at the bottom of his gut that told him that he wasn't right at all — the way he had felt while talking to him, the way Jimmy's words had hurt him more than most of the insults that had been aimed towards him and his magical skills over the course of the years.

 _Do let them be_ , Lena signaled, and then placed a sympathetic hand on her friend's shoulder. _You'll get everything sorted out with Jimmy eventually_.

 _Bold of you to assume that I_ want _to 'get everything sorted out' with him_ , he replied, snorting a little. But deep down he did know that he wished his relationship with the Gryffindor boy was simpler, nicer, perhaps even friendlier. But there was nothing he could do about it at that point, he gathered, so it was stupid of him to wonder if they would ever make peace like Celine and Elodie had just done a moment earlier. But the thing was, why would he even _want_ to make peace with him? He was the one who constantly judged him, and he was the one who tried to turn the entire group against him upon the smallest suspicion. Jimmy didn't like him — in fact, Calvin could have said that he must have _loathed_ him at that very moment — and he had a feeling that nothing would ever change that.

And yet, something inside him could only hope that one day things could be different between the two of them.

* * *

Jimmy and Alex didn't return to the Room of Requirement, and the rest of the group gathered that it was pointless to stay there any longer, so they all agreed to meet the following day after class in order to discuss what they were going to do next, mission-wise — Kanon had pointed out that it wouldn't be fair to decide without the two members who had left earlier, and they all agreed that the last thing that they needed was more disparity among the group. Brooklyn had walked up to Celine and asked her in a kind tone if she'd like to go back to the Ravenclaw tower with her and her friends, to which Celine replied with the brightest smile that her Housemates had seen on her face since their mission began. Simon said that he wanted to stay behind for a moment, so the three girls left together, quickly followed by Caroline and Kanon, who claimed to be 'dying to get some sleep'. All four Slytherins left after waving rushed goodbyes, Lena huddled by Calvin and quickly filling him up on her advances with her new friend, Catherine.

Thea waved goodbye to them happily and then turned to Maggie, "You going back to the common room now?"

"Nah," the girl said, shrugging. "I'll stay here for a bit and see if Jimmy and Alex come back. I'll be there around ten if they don't."

"All right, I'll meet you there then," Thea said, giving the girl a brief hug before leaving. "Don't worry about it, all right? We all make mistakes. And I'm sure Jimmy will understand and owe up to what he said earlier."

"Yeah," Maggie mused distractedly, but smiled at Thea nevertheless. "See you later, then."

"See you latter," nodded Thea, who then flashed a smile towards Simon. "See you tomorrow, Si!"

"Oh, yeah! Bye," Simon said, a shy smile playing on his lips. The boy didn't realize that he and Maggie were the only ones left in the Room of Requirement until a few moments after Thea left.

It was then when the girl rose to her feet and quietly made her way towards the little corner where Simon had been arranging the group's notes on their mission until then.

"How come you always look so busy, Mr. Specks?" she asked, a half-smile on her face.

"Oh, uh," Simon said, pushing his specks up a little. "Well, I'm not actually busy or anything — I just felt like the girls could use some time on their own, and well, I really did feel like staying behind for some reason."

"Really? How come?" The girl's expression had now turned into a more curious one, and she placed herself in front of Simon so that her eyes looked straight into his. The fact that they were more or less the same height didn't help when it came to Simon trying to keep his wits about him, because he had begun to think that he could spend the day marveling at how big and brown her eyes were if she'd let him.

"Well — I just tend to be a little homesick, that's all." Simon shrugged. He knew it sounded sort of pathetic, coming from a sixteen-year-old who had been awarded the chance to study at one of the most prestigious Wizarding schools in the world when his parents had always planned for him to lead a fairly normal, Muggle life. But he really did miss them and roaming the streets of Canterbury on his own from time to time.

"Oh," the girl nodded her head in a sympathetic way. "Yeah, I miss home sometimes too. I live in Montpellier, which is right by the beach, so I usually spend the summer swimming and hanging out with my brothers there, which is pretty great. And since they've all graduated, I don't really get to see them much anymore, so."

"Yeah. I miss my sister too," Simon said, a faint smile on his face. "She's studying at Oxford, so we only get to hang out over the holidays."

"Oh, what's Oxford?" Maggie asked, her eyebrows rising.

Simon couldn't help but laugh a little. Even though he had been a member of the Wizarding World for nearly six years now, the fact that some witches and wizards weren't even aware of what Oxford _was_ still surprised him sometimes. "Oh, it's — it's a really good Muggle university. Oh, and universities are like a place where Muggles usually board for their higher education studies and become specialists in what they want to work as when they grow up."

"Oh, all right," Maggie nodded a little. "Your sister must be really smart if she's gotten into a good school, right? I bet the lot of you are the smartest people in your town." The girl laughed lightly, which made Simon's cheeks fluster.

"Well, not really." He said, shrugging a little. "I mean, Olivia — that's my sister — _is_ pretty smart, but me? I'm just brains and a fairly good memory, that's all."

"That's a lot," the girl quipped, and playfully dug a finger into Simon's chest. "You're one of the smartest wizards I know. Don't you ever think you're not good enough, Si."

The boy did a feeble smile and, for once, didn't blush upon the girl's compliment. "Thanks. I — well, it's just that I'm not that great a wizard, I'm just good at History and Astronomy and you know, more theoretical stuff."

"That's good, though," Maggie said, a small smile on her face. Simon couldn't help but notice how her eyes crinkled when she was happy. "Oh, also — El and Brooke told me something else today. Happy birthday, Mr. Specks!"

"Merlin, thanks," the boy grinned, but shook his head in a dismissive gesture. "It's no big deal, really. I didn't think anyone aside from the two of them would know — the 10th of November isn't a very special day, after all."

"Why didn't you tell us? We could've thrown you a massive party," the girl pouted. "It _is_ a big deal to turn seventeen, y'know."

"Well, yeah," Simon said, a smile still playing on his lips. "Now I'll be able to hex my neighbour's mowing lawn if he ever complains about my dog ruining his flowers again."

Maggie laughed a little and then, in a shy gesture that didn't quite match her bubbly personality, she leaned forward and kissed Simon on the cheek. "Happy birthday, Simon."

The boy felt how his whole body reddened, but smiled nevertheless. "Thanks, Maggie."

And with that, the girl offered him one last smile and waved goodbye to him, leaving Simon feeling both dazzled and oddly satisfied for the next few hours.

* * *

 _Hey ho! I'm back from tae Highlands. I didn't think I'd have this done any sooner than Wednesday or Thursday, but my plane was delayed for several hours yesterday so I ended up jotting this down while drinking coffee and eating caramel shortbread at the airport Costa. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it — I for one loved writing both drama and fluff in one single chapter! Stay tuned for more and please let me know what you think about it via review – your comments mean a lot to me, peeps. :-)_


	12. Jolly-Holly Days!

_time once told me we're scared the most_  
 _of those things we can't control or know or understand_  
 _a folly of our own that we dwell on our mistakes_  
 _the chances we're too afraid to take, they take their toll_  
 _indolence won't save your soul_  
 _indifference is your choice, you know_

 **amadeus - family and friends**

* * *

Over a month passed before the group fully recovered from the dispute that came with Calvin and Niko's approach to the students who were supposed to be members of the Death Eater captation network. All fourteen of them found themselves increasingly busy in dealing with their day-to-day chores, and spending what little spare time they had in smaller groups. Celine had surprisingly begun to spend more and more time with her fellow Ravenclaws, and even joined them from time to time when they hung out with Jimmy and Maggie and Neville, Luna, and Ginny. The Hufflepuffs were like her second family, though — she and Thea had practically become a part of their close-knit group, and the five of them usually spent the weekends together, exploring the school's grounds and carefully trudging through their assignments together. As for the Slytherins, they usually hung out together most of the time — although Niko had slowly gone back to his friendly relationship with Jimmy, and Lena and the Ravenclaws had bonded over the girl teaching them BSL over the last few months. Bobby was generally friends with everyone, but still preferred to stay around his Housemates most of the time. Calvin, being as reserved as he was, wasn't really close to anyone other than Lena, Niko and Bobby, but he was perfectly cordial towards the rest of the team and even joined the Ravenclaws' study sessions from time to time. But he hadn't spoken to Jimmy ever since their row in the Room of Requirement, and he had a feeling that they would never get along, regardless of what Lena said.

And that was how, without getting too much done regarding the mission, the team landed themselves on Christmas break. Most of them had never stayed at school for the holidays, as they usually went home to celebrate with their families — but they obviously had nowhere to go in 1997, so they had all silently agreed to use their two-week holiday to try and find out more about the potential Death Eaters. The Carrows had left the school earlier that day, on the train that took most of the students back to King's Cross, which somehow made the castle's general aura of dread lighten. Only a handful of students stayed behind, so they were allowed to sit in groups in the Great Hall. Since all three of his newest friends had left for the holidays, Jimmy grudgingly agreed to share a table with the Slytherins over breakfast.

"Jolly, I can't believe the first half of the year is already over," Bobby said, a worried edge to his voice. "What if we don't catch those bastards in time?"

"We will," Caroline assured, then flashed a look towards Calvin and Niko. "These two have got it all under control, right?"

"Yes," Calvin said with a firm nod. "We're working on it, that's all. They've refused to let us know who is their actual leader so far, but hopefully they'll introduce them to us once they're back from the holidays."

"And the bonding with Neville and his friends is coming along nicely too, right?" Alex said. "You six seem to spend a lot of time with them, which is great. They might end up coming in handy for our mission."

"Yeah, definitely," Simon said as he took a spoonful from his cereal bowl. "They're super nice, honestly. I wonder if Professor Longbottom recognized us, well, when we first got to Hogwarts?"

"You know, I'd never actually thought about that before," Elodie replied thoughtfully. "We could ask him once we get back. It'd be a little weird, but this whole mission _is_ a little odd, honestly."

"Whoa, it's gonna be so weird having to go back to calling him 'Professor Longbottom' after this," chuckled Jimmy. "I mean, I'm probably just gonna get there and hug him or something."

"That'd _definitely_ be weird, Jim," giggled Maggie, shaking her head. A few of the others laughed a little too — except for Calvin, whose expression remained dead serious.

Lena nudged him and signaled, _C'mon, it's almost Christmas. Don't you think it's time to, you know, make peace with him?_

 _We've never been on good terms, Lena_ , he signaled back as he munched his toast. _It's not like we were friends in the past or anything, you can't just fix something that has . . . well, never existed._

The girl's lips twitched in a light grimace, but turned around when Elodie tapped on her shoulder and asked her — with a rather rudimentary use of BSL, but Lena appreciated the girl's gesture nevertheless — about their latest Transfiguration essay. Calvin was therefore left to his own thoughts, eyeing Jimmy from time to time. The boy was laughing heartily at how Alex had just accidentally splashed Bobby with nearly half of the contents of his cereal bowl — the Slytherin was hastily removing cereal flakes and drops of milk from his hair, jokingly complaining about the Hufflepbuff being a 'bloody butterfingers'. Calvin couldn't help but smile at the picture — the rest of the group had really managed to bond over the last few months, and yet he had been unable to open up to anyone aside from the little Slytherin gang. Merlin, even Celine and Elodie had begun to get along after their argument — the former usually joined them and Luna for breakfast now, and the two girls had even partnered up for a Potions project.

He kept mulling his newfound solitude over when Lena announced that she was going to the library with a friend from her Alchemy class, shooting a confidential smile towards Calvin before leaving. He knew that she was probably talking about the girl that she had begun to hang out with shortly after they first arrived at Hogwarts — her name was Catherine, and as far as he was concerned Lena was _very_ smitten with her. Not that she would ever admit it, but Calvin just knew from the way her eyes seemed to gleam just a little brighter whenever the blonde-haired girl was around.

"Hey, Cal," Elodie said once that Lena had left. "Is she going with that Catherine girl?" When the boy nodded quietly, Elodie couldn't help but gush a little. "Merlin, yes! I'm sure she fancies her. She won't shut up about how pretty and smart and nice she is!"

"I guess," Calvin said simply, then awkwardly turned back to the Dark Arts book that he had opened as he ate his breakfast.

"Merlin, I really do hope they end up together," Kanon said, smiling a bit dreamily. "It'd be super cute if they did."

"But she'd be devastated when the time of going back to our time came," Brooklyn pointed out. "I don't know."

"Aw, just let them be for now," Maggie said. Calvin wasn't sure if he was the only one who noticed the brief glance that the Gryffindor girl shot towards Simon, who was calmly finishing his breakfast. Apparently he wasn't, because Brooklyn and Elodie began elbowing each other and whispering excitedly a moment later.

"Hormones," Jimmy sighed, shaking her head. "Always luring us away from the objective of our mission."

"Aw, c'mon, don't be such a _bore_ ," Maggie nudged her friend playfully. "Besides, you're the world-class flirt here."

Calvin couldn't help but raise his eyebrows at the sight of Jimmy scratching his cheek, a little self-consciously. "Flirting's one thing. Love's an entirely different subject, Mags. And I'm not sure whether falling in _love_ right now would be the wisest thing to do."

"One doesn't choose when or where to fall in love, Jim," the girl replied, her eyebrows rising. "Or with whom. You of all people should know that."

The boy frowned and averted his eyes, running a hand through the nape of his neck. "I'm just saying."

"All right, all right," the girl said, her hands raising in a sign of defeat. "I'm sorry."

"S'alright."

And yet Jimmy's eyes refused to leave his plate for the next ten minutes or so, which gave Calvin plenty of time to examine the boy's gestures and mannerisms. He _was_ exceptionally handsome — not in a classical way, although his tousled dark blond hair and bright blue eyes could have suggested otherwise. But there was something in the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled, always mischievously and usually somewhat dreamily, or the way he raised his chin while trying to prove a point, or the way his hair sticked up in the mornings, that made Calvin's insides churn with a feeling that he couldn't quite understand yet. He tried to shut the thought away, but he couldn't help but feel a twinge in his gut when he realized what was wrong with him.

He was beginning to fall for someone who loathed him. And that made him feel more vulnerable than ever.

* * *

"I can't see how coming to the library will help us at all," Bobby groaned. "C'mon, it's _Christmas_. Can't we go outside and, I don't know, build a snowman or start a snowball fight or something like that?"

"We've been here for nearly four months and we've barely managed to scrape the surface of the problem that we were supposed to deal with," Elodie replied as she flipped open one of the books that Alex and Brooklyn had brought to their usual table a moment earlier. "So the least we can do is read a little on the subject or what went down during the First Wizarding War, don't you think?"

"But Caroline, Celine and Kanon are downstairs baking biscuits with the house elves, and Calvin and Niko managed to get a couple of old broomstick and go for a short flight," the boy complained. "Not that I'd like to be in their shoes, obviously, because I'm rubbish at Quidditch, but — Merlin, even Simon has taken the afternoon off. Can't we just go downstairs and play Wizarding Chess?"

"Let's just get this done first," Thea said, a reassuring smile on her face. She squeezed the boy's hand before selecting a book from the stack that Alex had gracefully carried earlier and took a seat next to the Hufflepuff, who was currently engrossed in reading a book on Voldemort's rise to power. The school's library had been thoroughly cleansed by the Carrows and quite a few books that had been labeled as 'subversive' had been moved to the Forbidden Section, but Alex had found it terribly easy to sneak in earlier that day and hide the books he deemed most appropriate for their research in the Divination section.

"This one's about the Order of the Phoenix," Brooklyn said, a broad grin on her face as she flipped through the pages of the book that she had picked up only a moment earlier. "Harry Potter's parents and his godfather were involved in it, apparently. Merlin, they must've been so young back then — "

She was cut off by the librarian's severe shushing, which made the girl's cheeks turn a bright red. Elodie giggled beside her, and Brooklyn smacked her arm with the book before returning to it. The five students then fell into an amiable silence, with the two Ravenclaws constantly noting things down on the scrolls that they had brought with them, Bobby mumbling things to himself every now and then and Alex poring over his book as though it were the most fascinating thing that he had ever read. As for Thea, who sat between the two of them, she spent most of the time taking sheepish glances towards the window, observing the white grounds surrounding the castle and secretly longing to be surrounded by the crackling fire of the Gryffindor common room, with a cup of hot cocoa in her hands and a quilt covering her body, instead of pretending to care about certain Death Eaters' whereabouts during the First Wizarding War.

"Hey, look at this." Alex said a while later, then cleared his throat before reading, " _There has been a lot of debate on whether He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named recruited witches and wizards who were still minors during the war. Headmaster Dumbledore stressed that no interference with the school's normality was ever noted even in the hardest years, although some former students claim to have attended school with Death Eaters who were known for their importance among the Dark Lord's ranks in spite of their young age. However, an organized scheme focused on recruiting Hogwarts students for his cause was never a part of his plan, and therefore the subject has remained widely untouched_."

"So he didn't do it the last time," Bobby mused thoughtfully. "Why bother now?"

"Well, considering the outcome of the previous war, one could think that he doesn't want to take anything for granted this time," Elodie suggested cautiously. She then pointed towards the book that was still in Alex's hands. "Hide it under your cloak, I've a feeling that it might come in handy. You still have that book on the Second War that you found back in . . . back home, right?" When Alex nodded, the girl smiled broadly. "Brilliant. Let's take both of them to the Room of Requirement and compare them there. I feel like we might find common patterns between the two of them."

"That's actually a really good idea," whispered Thea, nodding and half-glad that she could finally drop the book that she had picked up only a few minutes earlier. "So — should we leave these back in the Divination section?"

"Sure thing," Alex said. After the rest of the group placed their respective books back in a neat stack, the boy swiftly picked them up and strutted away, cleverly avoiding the librarian's wary glare until he got back. "Let's go, then. But I need tell you something that's occurred to me first."

"All right," Elodie nodded quietly. "Let's go."

The five students left the library quietly, almost holding their breaths until they were practically back in the Room of Requirement. Alex clutched the book firmly under his cloak, and didn't loosen his grasp around it until the door closed behind him.

"And _that's_ why I try to avoid going to the library," Bobby said as he took a seat. The Room of Requirement had redesigned itself to look like a more private and comfortable study area, consisting of a big table surrounded by chairs and a couch.

"What do you mean? The library's just about the best place on Earth," Elodie said, shaking her head a little as she dropped next to him on the couch. "Besides, the librarian who's in charge of it back in 2018 is _way_ nicer than that old nasty witch. Merlin's beard, I thought she was going to hex us."

Thea stifled a laugh as she took the remaining seat on the couch, whereas Brooklyn decided to sit cross-legged in front of them, with Alex sitting pensively on a puff next to her.

"So what did you need to tell us, Alex?" The Gryffindor asked.

"I, uh," the boy said, his tone awkward and even somewhat insecure. He seemed to be struggling to find the right words to put his thoughts into order. "Something occurred to me while reading that paragraph. It might've been that You-Know-Who didn't want to take anything for granted this time, like Elodie said, but I feel like there's a lot more to it than mere precaution." The boy sucked in a breath and then said, in a more somber tone, "What if he's put so much effort into recruiting an entire network of students _because_ he wants them to be ready to fight when the Battle of Hogwarts takes place?"

"But there's no way he knows that the Battle of Hogwarts is going to take place," argued Thea, frowning a little. "I mean, it was purely casual that the last battle of the war took place here. Right?"

"That's what I thought up until now," Alex said, nodding a little. "But what if it wasn't? What if the Battle of Hogwarts wasn't just a collateral cause of You-Know-Who finally finding Potter? What if he had _intended_ the battle to take place here all along, and simply lured Potter into the castle to deploy his entire army here and, well, pretty much try and destroy Hogwarts as we know it? His allies would be aware of it and would be able to protect themselves, obviously — that's the whole point in keeping in touch with the head of the Death Eater captation network, right? For them to know when to be ready to fight. So what if he's simply getting prepared to have a handful of students _starting_ the fight within the castle's grounds, and hopefully getting rid of a few of his enemies before he even gets here while at it?"

The other four students considered Alex's words for a few moments. They had studied the Second Wizarding War in History of Magic during their Fifth Year, but their textbooks always labeled the geographical situation of the Battle of Hogwarts as 'purely casual' because it was simply the place where Voldemort finally caught ahold of Harry Potter. But what _if_ he had intended for the culminating battle of the war to take place there all along?

"McGonagall sent all the Slytherins away before the battle began," Bobby mused quietly, as though he had just remembered something that he had learned ages ago, almost in another life. "That was how she pushed back the beginning of the actual confrontation for a few hours, right? By pushing them away from the area that was to become a battlefield as soon as the Death Eaters broke into the castle. She must've known about the network, framed the students who were responsible of it, and successfully contained them before they could start their own little riot."

"Exactly," Alex said, in an almost urgent tone. " _We_ must've been the ones who told her about them. Merlin, we may have even stupefied them or erased their memories or something like that. I'm not sure. But the thing is — we _have_ to find out before the battle, or its outcome could be severely compromised."

"It does make a lot of sense," Brooklyn said, nodding. "So — so what do we do?"

Alex sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Investigate, I suppose. And as soon as Calvin and Niko identify the leaders, confront them and then inform McGonagall about them."

"All right," Elodie sighed. "So the whole plan relies on Niko and Calvin's discoveries from now on."

"Didn't it always?" Bobby asked, perhaps a little too defensively. "I mean — I fully trust them, and I know they're gonna end up finding out who's been in charge of this whole thing eventually."

"Bobby's right," Thea said, nodding her head — which brought a small proud smile to Bobby's lips. "We've got to wait and see what they find out. Jimmy's not going to love having to totally rely on them for now, though."

"Well, Jimmy's going to have to suck it up and trust them for once," Alex said simply. "We can't afford to be at one another's throats right now. Things are bad enough as they are, and he out of all people should know better than to constantly argue with another member of the team."

The other four nodded eagerly, quickly agreeing with what Alex had just said.

"And now we wait," Bobby said solemnly. An instant later, however, a grin broke on his face. "Should we go find the girls and try those biscuits?"

Alex smiled for the first time ever since they had first gotten to the Room of Requirement. "Absolutely. Kanon and Caroline are extremely talented bakers, let me tell you."

"Jolly, I can't wait to try those then," laughed Elodie as she rose to her feet. She offered the other four students a warm smile. "But hey, great job. Especially you, Alex," she beamed a bright smile at him. "We do make a great team after all, don't we?"

"Yeah, we do," Thea agreed with a proud smile.

The Gryffindor squeezed Alex's hand a little before leaving the room, which made Alex's cheeks burn bright red.

* * *

 _So . . . not much to say on this one tbh. I hope you enjoyed it! Stay tuned for more. :)_


	13. December 31st, 1997

_so i kiss goodbye to every little ounce of pain_  
 _light a cigarette and wish the world away_  
 _i got out, i got out, i'm alive and i'm here to stay_

 **two fingers - jake bugg**

* * *

Hogwarts became slightly brighter with the holidays, but it was still a glum place to be when the rest of their classmates were home. Jimmy had heard from a few Gryffindors that they might not even come back once the holidays were over, considering how the first half of the school year had treated them — constantly bullied and even tortured by the Carrows and their Slytherin acolytes, constantly worrying about their relatives or friends who were in hiding. Seamus Finnigan wasn't the same happy, bubbly boy that he had always been, Neville told him in a dark tone a few days before leaving, and he doubted that he was going to make it through the year without Dean by his side. Jimmy itched to tell him that he understood, that he was a Muggle-born himself and couldn't possibly imagine what the Carrows would do to him if they ever found out his real blood status. But of course, that would have taken a lot of explaining and making up rather nonsensical excuses for his presence at Hogwarts during that school year, so he had forced himself to remain silent over the past few months.

Being stuck in the castle when everyone else was enjoying the holidays with their loved ones was too much for him, though. And the thought of spending New Year's Eve stuck in the Gryffindor common room, glumly eating biscuits with Maggie and Thea, felt even more discouraging — so that was why he suggested an alternative plan for the evening while the group had breakfast together, as they had grown accustomed to ever since the holidays began.

"That's _insane_ ," Caroline said, her eyes going wide. "There's no way we're leaving the castle and wandering off to Hogsmeade in the middle of the night. It's freezing outside, and we could be spotted by Death Eaters or, I don't know, any lunatic who happens to pass by."

"I think it's a good idea," Maggie said brightly. "C'mon, it'll be fun! We'll just wander around the village for a bit, grab a drink at The Three Broomsticks, and then come back right after midnight."

"Nope, no way," Celine said, shaking her head. "I'm staying here."

"Me too," Calvin said curtly, avoiding Jimmy's eyes.

"I — what if we get into trouble?" Brooklyn said doubtfully, averting her eyes. "We could get punished. Or expelled, even — sneaking outside is strictly prohibited, and I don't think they're going to be any less strict just because it's Christmas."

"But the Carrows aren't even here," Alex said thoughtfully. "And I'm sure we won't get caught, anyway."

"So you're going?" Caroline asked incredulously. "I — Kanon, please tell me you're not considering it too."

"I don't know," the girl said softly, shrugging her shoulders. "It _could_ be fun, but I don't want to get in trouble."

 _Me neither_ , Lena signaled, and then sighed a little. _Sorry, but I think I'm going to give it a miss_.

"Well, fuck getting into trouble," Bobby said, a half-smile on his face. "I'm in."

"That's the spirit!" Jimmy said, ruffling Bobby's hair in a friendly gesture.

"Me too," Thea chimed in. "I mean, you and Maggie are definitely going, and there's no way I'm spending the evening on my own, so."

"It _could_ be fun, yes," Simon said, a meek smile on his face.

"Yes, Mr. Specks!" Maggie grinned, and then hugged the boy tightly — which made most of the group snicker, knowing that there definitely _was_ something going on with those two. She then pouted at Brooklyn and Elodie. "You two are coming, right?"

"I don't know," Elodie sighed, shaking her head a little. "It _would_ be fun, but I feel like it's too risky. We shouldn't compromise our mission just because we're bored, and we could always just hang out together in the castle."

"But that wouldn't be half as fun, would it?" Brooklyn asked, shrugging. She then smiled towards Maggie and Simon. "I think I'll join you, too."

"Brilliant!" Jimmy said, a wide grin on his face. "So should we meet around, say, nine o'clock by Filch's office? There's a secret passageway that connects a small room right next to it with The Three Broomsticks. Mags and I found it during our Second Year."

 _How can you three keep up with these two_ , Lena signaled towards Brooklyn. The girl just laughed and shrugged her shoulders. _To be fair, I don't really know_ , she signaled back.

"You'd better not get yourselves in trouble," Caroline warned them, a slight frown on her face. "And I hope you're all back before one o'clock."

"All right, mum," Maggie joked.

Caroline's lips curved into an amused smile, and within a few seconds all fourteen of them had burst into laughter. For a moment it almost looked as though they weren't fourteen teenagers stuck in the middle of a war.

* * *

The party of eight that had finally agreed to go to Hogsmeade met up at the very spot that Jimmy had suggested, exactly at nine o'clock and with the castle's opulent New Year's Eve supper still filling their stomaches. They were all thoroughly prepared for the village's cold weather, wearing gloves, scarves, coats and hats that would hopefully protect them from the snow. Simon rubbed his hands in an enthusiastic manner as Jimmy showed them the way through the passageway, feeling a slight thrill upon the idea of doing something that was strictly prohibited to Hogwarts students — he had always been one to abide to the school's rules almost completely, but the idea of acting a little mischievously for once became a surprisingly exciting prospect for him as the day went by. Brooklyn seemed to be equally thrilled about their little trip, whereas Elodie, looking a little more hesitant, walked behind them cautiously, always making sure that nobody followed them.

"It's going to be real fun, you'll see," Maggie said, squeezing Simon's hand with an excited smile. "We'll tell them that we're home for the holidays and decided to meet for New Year's Eve because we were bored out of our wits, don't worry."

"I'm good, I promise," the boy said reassuringly, a half-smile on his face. "I'm not so sure about El, though."

"She'll get used to it," Brooklyn giggled, and then squeezed her friend's arm reassuringly. "We're going to be fine, aren't we?"

"Yes!" Jimmy said enthusiastically as he led the way out of the tunnel. "We're nearly there — c'mon, it'll be the best night ever."

"Did you ever do this — you know, back in our time?" Alex asked curiously, a somewhat amused expression on his face.

"We did," Maggie nodded solemnly, then gave Jimmy's shoulder a friendly, confidential punch. "We found it during our Second Year, and we've been sneaking out to Hogsmeade every other weekend ever since."

"I can't say I'm surprised," Bobby chuckled, shaking his head a little. "But didn't you ever get caught?"

"Well, only once," Jimmy said defensively. "Professor McGonagall was furious, but Professor Longbottom finally talked her into simply punishing us for a week or so. That was in . . . Fourth Year, I think?"

"I can't believe you two," Thea laughed. The girl squinted for a couple of seconds as her eyes adjusted to the newfound brightness of the pub that they had just landed themselves into — as the eight of them successfully made it out of the tunnel, Jimmy briefly explained that they were currently in the room that held most of the pub's cleaning utensils, so they usually sneaked out through the window and then pretended to walk into the pub as casually as possible. Thea couldn't help but laugh at how clear their plan was — they had obviously followed similar schemes over the past few years, because they pretty much mastered the art of passing as young adults who were looking for a nice place to drink a Butterbeer instead of Hogwarts students who were supposed to be inside their common rooms by that time.

The weather wasn't great outside — the streets were covered in snow, and most of the shops had already closed — but they all smiled excitedly at the prospect of spending the last hours of the year there. Huddling together for warmth, the eight of them quickly made their way to the front door, and entered swiftly with warm smiles and casual gestures. Jimmy, who had one of his charming smiles plastered on his face, approached the owner and whispered something quickly to him as his seven friends waited by the door. When the man shook Jimmy's hand in a friendly manner and showed him to a large table where all eight of them could take a seat, the other seven students were quick to follow him and thanked the owner before he left — only to come back a few minutes later with eight identical Butterbeers, which were received by the eight of them with enthusiastic cheers and a few smiles.

"So it's actually going to work," Elodie laughed, shaking her head unbelievingly. "I don't even know how did I end up getting dragged into this, but it _has_ been quite fun so far."

"Look at her go," Maggie said cheerfully, wrapping an arm around her friend's shoulder. "Little El is doing something potentially problematic and claims to be _having fun_ in spite of it! What a way to go, _chérie_."

"Do shut up," Elodie laughed a little, swatting her arm in a friendly manner. She then took a sip from her Butterbeer before adding, "What about Brooke, huh? She _agreed_ to do this straightaway. Can you believe it? The very same girl who spent her entire Second Year sleeping with her tie wrapped around her hand, just in case she forgot it in the morning."

The entire group laughed as Brooklyn's cheeks reddened, but the girl smiled nevertheless. "We've all grown up quite a bit, yes."

"Well, I'll drink to that," Thea said, an amused edge to her voice. "To growing up!"

"To growing up!" The other seven cheered, all eight of them taking a generous gulp from their Butterbeers right afterwards.

"So," Bobby said. "The whole place is in a surprisingly bright mood. These holidays have nearly made me forget that we're in the middle of a war, you know."

"Yeah," Alex agreed. "I mean, the last few days have been _great_ fun. I can't believe we barely knew each other before coming here — all thirteen of you are almost like family to me now."

"Awww, Alex," Thea said, ruffling the Hufflepuff's hair. "You're absolutely right. I — well, I've never had really close friends at school, but I really like you guys. I just hope we don't fall apart if . . . once we go back, I mean."

The alternative to Thea's last sentence hung in the air for a few seconds. _If we go back_. All of them had tried their best not to think about the possibility of not making it back home, but it became more and more possible with every day that went by, with the Battle of Hogwarts approaching slowly but steadily and the Carrows' grasp on the castle's inhabitants becoming tighter and tighter every day.

"We won't fall apart when we get back, Thea," Maggie said reassuringly. "We can still hang out together, go to the Quidditch matches, meet up on Hogsmeade weekends instead of going in smaller groups . . . and besides, most of us are in a few classes together. We'll make it work, don't worry about it."

"Yeah," Jimmy said happily before downing his Butterbeer. He then glanced at his watch and announced, "Hey! It's half past eleven now. Should we go outside or do you want to welcome the New Year here?"

"Let's go outside," said Alex, a half-smile on his face. He neatly placed two Sickles on the table before rising to his feet. The others were quick to follow, and once they were outside they spread out a little and casually struck up smaller conversations — Brooklyn and Elodie carefully listened to Jimmy and Bobby, who were currently discussing different Quidditch strategies, whereas Thea and Alex playfully tossed snowballs at each other. Simon took a seat on a nearby bench, and Maggie was quick to follow.

"Hey," the girl said, rubbing her hands together. "It's been fun so far, right?"

"Yeah," Simon agreed, his teeth chattering ever so lightly because of how cold it was outside. There was, however, a small smile on his lips. "I love getting to do this sort of stuff. I love Elodie and Brooklyn, but it's been a while since I'd had _this_ much fun."

"No, I understand," Maggie said, nodding a little. "For me it's the exact opposite. I love Jimmy and it's always great when he's around, but . . . you three keep me grounded, which is also good sometimes. Besides, I've really come to enjoy the books you've been lending me."

"Really?" Simon did a proud smile, his eyes crinkling a little. "I — well, I'm glad you've been enjoying them so far. I can lend you more when we go back — half of my trunk is made up of Muggle novels, but I gathered that I couldn't bring them all here. Especially the ones that were published after 1997."

"Yeah, that would have been a little risky," agreed the girl, her expression equally amused. She then cautiously placed her gloved hand atop of Simon's, and eyed him with a curious gesture. "You know what Thea said about us falling apart when we get back?"

"Yeah," Simon breathed quietly — half because he was too caught up in studying the girl's features to elaborate on his response, half because he didn't want to imagine a scenario where his new friends weren't a part of his life anymore.

"Well, I really hope that doesn't happen," the girl said quietly, and then squeezed Simon's hand ever so gently. "Because I'd hate to go back to not hanging out with you, Mr. Specks." The girl bit her lip with a small smile, and for a second Simon could have sworn that his entire body had gone a bright red.

"Two minutes to go!" Jimmy announced cheerfully. When a snowball hit him, however, the boy wheeled around and frowned until he realized who his attacker was — none other than Brooklyn, who had a mischievous smile on her face and was now trying to hide behind a lamppost. The boy launched himself towards her and dropped a handful of snow on the girl's head, which had her screaming in pure delight as she tried to run away from him. In the meantime, Elodie had formed a perfect snowball and aimed it directly at the nape of Jimmy's neck — and successfully hit it a second later. Bobby, standing next to the bench, observed the ongoing battle with an amused smile on his face.

"Those three really _are_ going to go into 1998 tossing snowballs at each other," Maggie giggled, shaking her head.

"Absolutely," Simon chuckled. "It's great to see that they're having a good time, though. Alex and Thea were worried about leaving the others behind, but I guess they must be having fun in their own, responsible way too."

"Yeah, although I bet it's been nowhere as fun as this," Maggie said. "Speaking of which — where _are_ those two? Did they stay inside?"

Simon's eyebrows rose. "No, they did come outside with us. Perhaps they just went for a walk or something."

"Hm, yeah." Maggie's expression remained thoughtful for a second, and then she added, "Hey, Simon, I — I wanted to talk to you about something, but I don't really know how to put it without sounding like an absolute _connasse_."

"Actually, I . . . well, I wanted to tell you something too." Simon fidgeted with the snow on his hand for a few seconds, and then finally said, "I'm glad I've gotten to know you better over the past few months, and I — "

He was cut off by a loud cheer from his friends and the sound of fireworks in the distance. He looked at Maggie, a confused expression on his face, and felt how his cheeks flustered when he noticed that the girl was laughing. Behind them, Jimmy had enveloped Elodie in a bear hug and carried the girl around, whereas Brooklyn had shyly kissed Bobby's cheek and wished him a happy New Year.

"Did we just miss the countdown?" He asked. The expression on his face was an amused one, instead of the usual shy gesture that Maggie had grown used to over the past few months.

"I think we did." The girl laughed. "I can't believe how wrong our timing was."

"Merlin, I'm sorry, I should've — "

"Oh, Si, _do_ shut up." The girl placed a hand on Simon's cheek, a daring smile on her face, and then leaned towards the boy to press a kiss on his freezing lips. A warm feeling itched at the bottom of the boy's gut when she pulled away and whispered, "Happy New Year, Mr. Specks."

"Happy New Year, Mags." He grinned and, before he could help himself, he was kissing her again.

* * *

 _YEET. Not much to say other than that — but YEET fluffy me is so happy. Angsty me, on the other hand, is getting ready for the upcoming chapters . . . because boy, aren't those meant to be **tragic**. I didn't expect to get it done so early, but my classes were cancelled today so I just sat down and wrote this instead of, you know, actually getting uni stuff done, haha. But yeah — hope you enjoyed this one! As always, stay tuned for more. :-)_


	14. The Universe In Ecstatic Motion

_'cause i'll know my weakness, know my voice_  
 _and i'll believe in grace and choice_  
 _and i know perhaps my heart is fast_  
 _but i'll be born without a mask_

 **babel - mumford & sons**

* * *

The last few days of the Christmas holidays went by in a daze of board games, picking on Simon and Maggie whenever they were caught sneaking away together, half-hearted investigations and breakfasts huddled together at the Hufflepuff table until the rest of their classmates came back to school. It felt a little strange to go back to not being able to hang out together all the time, but all fourteen of them knew that they were ought to focus on their mission — they would have plenty of time to be together when they got back, and in the meantime they would simply have to cherish what little time they could spare between their schoolwork and keeping up with their ongoing investigation.

However, nearly a month went by until they got any news — the reason being that the leaders of the captation network had supposedly left the school temporarily at Lord Voldemort's strict command, thus making Calvin and Niko unable to gather any new information on them or how the network worked. The two boys felt increasingly frustrated by their 'lack of success', as Niko put it, even though their friends tried to cheer them up whenever they exteriorized said frustration. They had successfully noted down a number of names and profiles for a few members, but that was about it.

"But what if we don't gather enough information in time?" Niko asked, his leg bouncing up and down nervously. It was quite cold, even for a late February night in the Highlands, but the amount of anxiety that pumped through his body was more than enough to keep him warm, even when he was sitting on a leather couch in a dungeon under the lake.

Bobby, who was sitting next to him and had wrapped a quilt around himself, patted his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry, Nik. I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out. Besides, the rest of us are here to help you if you need anything. Lena and I can try and join the group too, right?"

"That's too risky," Calvin said, shaking his head. "Lena's a Muggle-born — they usually ask really specific details about your bloodline, and even though we've got all those fake birth certificates I certainly wouldn't risk it." The boy glanced around just to make sure that no-one had heard that last bit, then leaned back against the coffee table.

Lena, whose lap was covered by a tartan quilt that her mother had made her before leaving for Hogwarts for the first time, seemed to agree — albeit reluctantly — with her best friend's words. _You and I should just keep a low profile, Bob_ , she signaled. _We'll help them as much as we can, but we really shouldn't play with fire_.

"Now that's a poetic way to put it," Calvin snorted. The boy ran a hand through his hair before adding, "The thing is, we're all beginning to worry about the whole thing a little too much. Luna Lovegood never came back from the holidays, and a few of our classmates are nowhere to be found either. What are we going to do if this keeps going until the Battle? We may never find out in time."

"We will," Bobby assured them. "We'll find out, we'll get the job done, and then we'll go home before the fighting begins. That's the plan, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Niko said softly, almost pensively. "But we can't always just follow a plan, Bob. This is the real life, not one of Celine's carefully planned-out strategies. It's — it's like Quidditch, sort of. You plan out a strategy, but sometimes it simply doesn't work."

"It _will_ work this time," Bobby insisted. "And it'll earn us a victory and catching the Snitch before the rival team does. We do have one hell of a Seeker here, don't we?" He clapped Calvin's back in a friendly way, which made his friend chuckle. "Don't tell Jimmy I said that."

The four of them erupted into a fit of giggles and chuckles, thus leaving the subject behind for once. A group of Fifth Years eyed them disdainfully from one of the tables, but they chose to ignore them, and kept jokingly poking fun at each other — until a blonde-haired girl emerged through the door and waved with a broad smile at Lena, who immediately rose to her feet and greeted her with a warm hug.

"Hey!" The girl said — the three boys immediately recognized her as Catherine Kenley, the girl that had become one of Lena's closest friends over the last few months. She directed her bright blue eyes towards Lena, who suddenly seemed a lot more self-conscious. "May I steal little Lena here away from you for a few minutes?"

"Sure thing," Bobby nodded, his expression rather curious. He knew that Lena fancied Catherine, but she hadn't quite figured out yet what the girl's sexual orientation was — or if she had any romantic interest in her, for that matter. "Just make sure to have her in bed by ten o'clock, all right?" He added jokingly.

"Sure thing," Catherine replied, giggling a little. She then turned around and squeezed Lena's hand gently. "Let's go to our dormitory, shall we?"

Lena nodded breathlessly and, with that, the two of them were off. Bobby couldn't help but snort a little. "Those two are _so_ going to end up together. It'll be harder for her to go back if they do, though."

"Lena's a very intelligent person and an exceptionally gifted witch," Calvin said simply, shrugging his shoulders. "She'll know what's best for her and her . . . _friend_."

"Whoa, Cal, no need to be so protective," chuckled Niko. "Let's just let her have fun for a bit, shouldn't we? Those of us who haven't managed to get ourselves a lady like Catherine should just focus on our mission for now."

Calvin couldn't help but roll his eyes at how painstakingly oblivious Niko was to the fact that he had never even remotely shown any interest in _ladies like Catherine_ , as his friend had put it only a moment earlier. "All right, yes. Let's focus on what we've got so far." He reached for his schoolbag and scrambled for the piece of parchment where he had listed the names of the members of the network that they had managed to gather so far — there were over a dozen of them, ranging from boys to girls and from Third Years to Seventh Years, and even though most of them were Slytherins, a few Ravenclaws and a handful of Hufflepuffs were involved in it too. Caroline had told them to follow Draco Malfoy and his friends closely, but they were surprised to find out that none of them were involved in the clandestine group's activities — perhaps due to the fact that Malfoy had already attended several of Voldemort's official meetings himself, thus earning himself a certain respect from the Dark Lord and avoiding getting his hands dirty with mere recruitment work. The only one of his friends who was known to be a member of it was a chubby boy by the name of Vincent Crabbe — whose name happened to be at the very top of Calvin's list.

"I bet this Crabbe fellow has been in touch with the kids who are in charge of the network," Niko said. "He's not the lightest bulb in the chandelier, but we might be able to get some information from him."

"Should we question him, then?" Bobby asked cautiously. "I could do it. You two still need to look trustworthy to him and the network, after all."

"But what's the point in you interrogating him?" Calvin quipped. " _We_ need to interrogate him, precisely because he knows us. We'll just erase his memory afterwards — like Niko said, he isn't the brightest bulb in the chandelier, so it shouldn't be too difficult to do it."

"All right then," Bobby said, sighing a little. "You two do it."

"We'll try and find him tomorrow," Niko said, nodding his head. "He spends most of his spare time loitering around the kitchens with his friend Goyle or following Malfoy around, so it shouldn't be too difficult. We'll just ask him if he's got any news from the rest of the group, and then stupefy him or something and bring him over to our dormitory. Bobby, you'll guard the door in case one of those twats happens to want to come in during the questioning, right?" The two of them had taken a liking to calling their two roommates, who were a couple of snobbish twins from Exeter, all sorts of mean names. Calvin didn't exactly approve of it, but he didn't think he could object to it either.

"I most definitely will," Bobby replied, a half-crooked grin on his face. It felt somewhat reassuring to have a task assigned to him, even if it was a more collateral one.

"So that settles it," Calvin said calmly. "We'll question him tomorrow and we'll try and get some answers from him. Then we'll let the others know. Shouldn't Lena be aware of it beforehand, though?"

"I think she's too busy sucking faces with that Catherine girl as of right now," chuckled Bobby, shaking his head. "We'll just tell her later, Cal. D'you wanna play Exploding Snap? I think I've my deck somewhere in here." The boy rummaged inside his schoolbag and grinned when he managed to pull out an intact deck of Exploding Snap that he had brought all the way from 2018. "C'mon! I know I'm an intimidating opponent, but I promise not to be too mean."

"Aha, we'll see," Niko said playfully. He then elbowed Calvin, who seemed to be lost in thought. "You wanna play too, mate?"

"What?" Calvin asked absentmindedly. A moment later, he shook his head a little. "Oh, no. You two play. I'll just read for a bit."

"Aight then."

And with that, the three of them fell into a comfortable silence, in which Calvin couldn't help but wonder if their plan for the following day would succeed after all.

* * *

Jimmy couldn't help but think of how much he missed the way Neville, Ginny and Luna had welcomed them into their group before the holidays. It wasn't like they acted any colder around them now — they had become, in fact, their closest friends aside from the rest of their group — but it just wasn't the same without Luna. Neville's expression was glum and pessimistic most of the time, and Ginny had to fight tears back when they had first asked about the Ravenclaw girl's absence.

"We received an unsigned letter from her," Neville had explained softly. "I mean, it was very easy to recognize her handwriting. She said she was fine — Harry, Hermione and Ron had rescued her and Dean from the Malfoy Manor, and she was staying 'somewhere safe' for the time being, because her Dad has been sent to Azkaban. It's bollocks, right? To send an innocent man to Azkaban when You-Know-Who's allies are all out there, terrorizing Muggles and wizards and witches alike."

The two of them still hung out with the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors most of the time, though. Celine and Thea had taken a liking to joining them on their weekly hang outs by the lake, and when the weather improved as March broke in they found themselves spending an increasing amount of time there, Neville studying the lake with a disheartening glumness in his eyes and Ginny constantly complaining about the Carrows' negligent use of magic on eleven-year-olds.

That day, however, Jimmy carried a secret under his sleeve that would definitely cheer them both up.

"Hey, Neville," the boy said casually as he jogged up to his friend, who didn't usually take a seat with the rest of the group and instead paced around the lake in a distracted manner. It wasn't that he didn't like them, but Jimmy knew that he still hadn't quite grown used to the idea that Luna wasn't there to brighten their everyday lives anymore. "I — I've got useful information, I think."

Neville's eyebrows rose. "Really? What is it?"

"Well . . . I don't know where to begin, really, but the thing is that Maggie and I heard something in the corridor the other day," he had made the whole story up the previous night, in an attempt to sound more convincing when he told his friend all the half-truths that their mission had consisted of so far. "We didn't want to tell you because well, we've all got a lot on our plates right now, but the thing is that we believe that there might be a sort of captation network puppeteered by You-Know-Who himself here."

"Here? You mean here at school?" Neville asked, frowning a little. "I know Malfoy's pretty much become a Death Eater by now, and so have a few of his cronies, but I never thought that You-Know-Who would bother recruiting . . . well, children."

"Yeah, we thought the same thing," Jimmy was quick to reply, mainly because his friend seemed to share the same hesitations that most of the group had held on the early days of their mission. "But then we thought . . . well, he wouldn't want to take things for granted like he did the last time, would he? I feel like having a small group of accolades here would be helpful if something were to happen within the castle's walls." He pursed his lips, because he didn't know how to phrase his thoughts without letting Neville know about the impending Battle of Hogwarts.

Neville seemed to consider his words for a few moments. "That does make sense. The Order _does_ have allies in here, after all — I suppose you heard about us back when Umbridge was around, but Dumbledore's Army is still going fairly strong. We're ready to fight when the right time comes, and it's only logical that You-Know-Who would want to keep his arse covered if something were to happen here, yes." Neville's expression was firm and somewhat worried, but he then placed a gentle hand on Jimmy's shoulder and squeezed it ever so lightly. "Thank you so much for the information, Jim. The lot of you are — well, you're the closest thing to a group of friends that Ginny and I have as of right now, with most of them either in hiding or . . . " The boy gulped and remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "Anyway, I wanted to trust you and the rest of the group with something, but I didn't have enough coins with me, so I reckon you'll have to inform them when the time comes."

Jimmy frowned a little as Neville rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a golden Gallon. "This is one of the Army's charmed Gallons. I didn't know how to cast a spell on a new one, so I had to ask Ginny to do it, but . . . well, it'll let you know whenever one of us is in danger or we've decided to go into hiding or something like that. I've been thinking about staying in the Room of Requirement myself for a few days to test it out as a hiding place, but I'm not entirely sure yet." The boy pressed the coin onto Jimmy's hand with a sad smile. "Try and carry it wherever you go, will you? It'll warm up in your pocket if you're ever being called. You can also use it to communicate with me or Ginny, or any of the members of the Army. Take good care of it, please."

"I will." Jimmy said incredulously, grasping the coin tightly in his hand. He had never thought they would get to join the Army's activities, and yet Neville had just hinted at the possibility of him and his friends joining them in the eventuality of a conflict breaking out in the castle. "I'll let the others know, don't worry. The thing is — should I tell my Hufflepuff and Slytherin friends too?"

Neville pursed his lips a little. "Definitely not the Slytherins. Look, I'm sure they're great people, but the rest of the Army may not feel safe around them. And I think we've more than enough reasons not to trust the Slytherins at this point." There was a stern look on the boy's face as he spoke. "And as for the rest of your friends — I know you'd like to bring them over, but I don't know. I don't want the rumour to spread, or the Carrows to become too suspicious if we ever do go into hiding. I'm sorry."

"All right." Jimmy sighed, but nodded nevertheless. "I'll tell Maggie, Simon, Elodie, Brooklyn, Celine, and Thea then. Is that all right?"

"Yes, that's right." Neville offered him a small, sad smile, and patted his back gently. "Don't worry. Hopefully we won't even need to hide — I'm sure Harry will take care of You-Know-Who before it gets to that point."

" _Tout cela aussi passera_ ," Maggie said as she flung an arm around each boy's shoulders and clung herself to them a little. "Why are you two so _upset_ all the time. C'mon, cheer up a little."

"That's easy to say when you're all smitten with your new boyfriend, isn't it?" Jimmy teased. When Maggie swatted his arm, the boy laughed heartily and ruffled her hair. "Come on, Mags, you know I'm happy for you."

"I do. But that doesn't make you any less of a prick when you tease me about it, you know." However, she ended up laughing too. "No, but seriously . . . I know that Jimmy simply needs to get laid, but you, Neville — I don't want you to be all upset about Luna's absence, all right? I know she's very important to you, but I'm sure she's fine, and you'll get to see her again. Perhaps over the Easter holidays? But for now . . . well, there's us, and there's a lot to fight for. So try and look on the bright side of things, all right?"

" _Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion_." Simon said behind them, a second before wrapping his arms around Maggie and resting his chin on top of the girl's head, a small smile on his face as he glanced towards Neville. "We'll get out of this, Neville. We've got to hold on for a little longer, but it'll be over in a heartbeat, I promise."

"Why are you all so huddled together all of a sudden?" Elodie questioned, perching herself onto Jimmy's shoulder.

"A group hug, maybe?" Ginny teased, wrapping an arm around Neville's shoulder in a comforting way.

"Oh, a group hug," Brooklyn said, a smile on her face. "Yes, please!"

"I wanna join in too!" Thea chimed in as she goofily wrapped her arms around both Maggie and Simon, who were sent into a fit of giggles by the girl's gesture.

"Ugh, why must you all be so _sappy_ all the time," Celine half-complained, rolling her eyes. However, she ended up smiling ever so faintly when Elodie pulled her in for a hug. "I'm seriously about to vomit, you know."

"Oh, do shut up, Cissy." Elodie giggled.

And before anyone else could say otherwise, the nine of them had blended into the most heartfelt of hugs.

* * *

 _Well — I don't have much to say tbh, but I hope you enjoyed this one. I know I keep saying this, but shit's really about to go down, so stay tuned!_


	15. Scars

_oh, woe-oh-woah is me  
the first time that you touched me  
oh, will wonders ever cease?  
blessed be the mystery of love_

 **mystery of love - sufjan stevens**

* * *

Jimmy had never been one to spend much time on his own. He was one of those people who feel slightly uneasy whenever they are left alone with their thoughts — he was never really on his own, at least not back in 2018, where he usually hung out with his Quidditch teammates or his temporary flings whenever Maggie was busy. He had grown used to hanging out with the other members of the team when she wasn't around — Elodie had become one of his closest friends, and Brooklyn was an extremely nice person to have around; Alex and Bobby were also great friends of his, and he had grown very fond of Lena, Thea, Caroline, and Kanon, but it just wasn't the same without Maggie. And now she and Simon were a thing so, as it was to be expected, she spent what little spare time she had with her new boyfriend, the two of them spending a crazy amount of time reading poetry by the lake and lying near Hagrid's hut, simply gazing at the stars together. Jimmy had never seen her so bright-eyed and happy, which made him feel exceptionally joyful too, but at the same time he couldn't help but feel a little pang of jealousy whenever the girl sneaked off with Simon instead of hanging out with him. He knew she would stay if he ever asked her to, but he didn't want to be an arsehole about her first serious relationship.

And that was, in short, how he found himself trotting down the school corridors on his own around four o'clock in the evening, all alone and carefully observing everyone around him. The amount of students that populated the school's hallways had diminished even more after Christmas — quite a number of students had decided to stay home or go into hiding after a full semester of standing the Carrows' abuses and the way Voldemort had practically taken over the entire school. Classes were often cancelled due to a teacher's sudden 'absence', and things had become so difficult for everyone who wasn't on the Dark Lord's side that Jimmy couldn't possibly imagine how they would make it to May, when the Battle of Hogwarts was to take place.

"Hey, Simmons!" A Slytherin said only a few feet away from him, pointing his wand towards a much smaller Gryffindor boy. "Heard your mummy got killed yesterday, wasn't she? Ah, those filthy mudbloods are finally getting what they deserve. Can't believe we actually _let_ them roam these corridors once!"

Jimmy clenched his teeth at the Slytherin's words. The boy was tall enough, but Jimmy was slightly taller and perhaps a little stronger than him, which would undoubtedly become an intimidating fact if the Slytherins didn't have their back covered by the Carrows and Snape nearly all the time. He quietly observed as the scene unfolded in front of him.

"Leave me alone." The Gryffindor boy couldn't be any older than twelve or thirteen, and he was clearly making an effort when he averted his eyes and dug his hands into his cloak's pockets.

"If only they'd consider getting you all killed too." The Slytherin sneered, poking the boy's cheek with his wand. "You're no better than your filthy mother and your blood traitor father, Simmons."

"Shut — shut up, Boris."

"What? What was that, little Simmons?" The Slytherin dug his wand into the other boy's cheek, and chuckled as his face went pale white. "Y'know, I could hex you now and nobody would give a _shite_. 'Cause that's what you are — a worthless, stupid little shite."

Before he could even register his own actions, Jimmy's hand had plunged into his pocket and was pointing at the Slytherin as he approached the two students. "Hey. I think that's enough for now."

"Who even _are_ you?" sneered the Slytherin, whose name appeared to be Boris. "Get out of my way before I report you to the Carrows."

"Oh, I don't think that's happening anytime soon, mate." Now it was Jimmy's turn to dig his wand into the Slytherin's neck as he placed himself in front of the younger student. "Who do you think you are, bullying young children around the castle. No wonder I'd never even heard of you before, _Boris_ — you're pathetic, even by Death Eater standards." He couldn't help but smile self-consciously when the little boy standing behind him gasped and even chuckled a little at that last remark.

"What did you just — " But before the Slytherin could finish the sentence, Jimmy mumbled a spell under his breath that made Boris's head engorge until it was around the size of the door that led to the Charms classroom, the boy's neck swinging around in a failed attempt to hold the head in its place. A few students peered through the window as the Slytherin fell to the floor with a loud _thud_ , dragged by the new weight of his own head, and quite a number of them found themselves snickering happily when Jimmy did a goofy bow before whirling around to face the Gryffindor boy that was now observing Boris's engorged head with an amused expression on his face.

"You should go now," Jimmy warned him, a sterner expression setting on his face as he realized the gravity of what he had just done. It was always act first, think second for him — so he had only just come to realize that he had just hexed a Slytherin who was most likely involved in the Carrows' patrolling and torturing activities in the middle of a school corridor, with plenty of people who would testify against him if they were ever put under pressure. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and lowered himself to meet his gaze. "Seriously, you can't be here when the Carrows arrive. Because they _will_ arrive in a matter of minutes, and I don't want you to get in any more trouble, all right? Just go back to class or to the common room and stay there until everything's calmed down a little. And I'm really sorry for your loss, mate — I'm sure your ma was one heck of a witch."

The boy nodded breathlessly, as if the danger of the situation that they were both involved in had just dawned on him. His expression, however, had softened at Jimmy's last words. "Thank — thanks a ton." He said quickly before picking up his schoolbag and rushing down the corridor, flashing one last smile at Jimmy before disappearing up the staircase. The sixteen-year-old couldn't help but grin in return — however, before he could even pocket his wand, a cold hand fell on his shoulder and squeezed it to a fairly painful degree.

"Marston." He immediately recognized Alecto Carrow's voice. The woman was nearly a foot smaller than him, but the coldness in her eyes still chilled him to the marrow. She was even more intimidating than her brother, who happened to be standing next to her and currently helping Boris the Slytherin to his feet as the boy grudgingly complained about how 'that damn Gryffindor' had caught him offguard and taken advantage of 'the fact there was no-one else around'. The woman's tone was absolutely neutral, but there was something about it that made a shiver run down Jimmy's spine. "You're coming to our office. _Now_."

Jimmy felt a lump in his throat as he followed the two teachers, albeit reluctantly, down the corridor. He didn't know what to expect from his first visit to their office, but he had heard all sorts of stories over the past few months — Neville himself had been kept there for several hours before the Christmas holidays, because Amycus Carrow claimed that he had been 'spreading false propaganda' about the Order of the Phoenix around the school. The boy had returned to the Gryffindor common room with several bruises branding his face and neck and a severe cut under his right eye, but he hadn't wanted to talk about it. Jimmy couldn't blame him — whatever was to happen in the next few minutes, he knew that it wouldn't be a pleasant experience at all.

They hadn't even needed to point his wand at him.

* * *

"So tell us, James," Amycus said, feigning a calm tone as his sister tied the boy's hands to the back of the chair that he had just taken a seat on. "Is this fondness of bullying innocent Slytherins a hobby that you've recently taken a liking to, or have you been doing it your entire life?"

"Innocent?" Jimmy repeated incredulously. " _He_ was the bully. He was taunting a little boy whose mother had just been murdered. Besides — no Headmaster has allowed bullying in this school before, _Professor_." He almost spat out the word, his eyes irradiating hatred towards the two adults standing in front of him. "Ever."

"Some Slytherins would certainly disagree on that," Alecto said, fidgeting with her wand in a taunting manner. "But that's beyond the point now. The thing is that you have just attempted to severely injure one of our students, and we definitely cannot let this pass." The woman mumbled something under her breath, pointing her wand towards Jimmy, and a second later Jimmy felt a severe pain right under his left cheekbone, where a big purple bruise was beginning to form. It was shortly followed by a gash on his right temple, which had the boy scream out in pain and the two Professors laughing in delight. Alecto trotted towards him happily and then grabbed the boy's dark blond hair with a mischievous expression on her face and dug her wand into his chin. "What should we do next, Amycus?"

"It's been a while since we last got to torture a Gryffindor, hasn't it?" Amycus said, a half-crooked grin on his face. "A couple of weeks ago, right? That Finnigan boy. The poor devil could barely stand up when he left the room."

"F — Fu — Fuck . . . " Jimmy breathed, his eyes half-closed due to the cuts and bruises that were slowly appearing on his face as Alecto kept mumbling wounding spells. His nose cracked ever so lightly and began bleeding a second later, which made the boy scream in agony yet again.

"What was that, Marston?" Alecto sneered into his ear, her cold breath sending a shiver down the boy's spine.

"F — Fuck you." He felt a pang in his chest as he received yet another blow, but he couldn't help but smile in a rather self-conscious manner at the realization that he had finally managed to snap back at the two Professors.

"Mr. Marston, foul language is strictly prohibited in this castle. You will obviously be getting an extra punishment because of it." Amycus said, looking stern for a moment. He then pointed his wand towards Jimmy and muttered, " _Crucio_."

Jimmy felt how his entire body seared with pain. He tried clenching his teeth and fists, but it was too much to bear — his hands opened limply, and his head lolled backwards as his tongue became too numb from screaming and trying to hold back the pain that the curse brought him. The Carrows relished on the boy's defeat and even laughed a little when his chair fell backwards from the limp weight of holding a nearly unconscious body. Alecto was quick to push him up again and even slapped his cheeks a little, even though most of the boy's face was drenched in blood and sweat by that point.

"Is there anything you'd like to say to us now, Marston? Perhaps something that we're not aware of about the Order or that little organization that your friend Longbottom is trying to bring back?"

Jimmy's teeth gritted involuntarily, and he took a few seconds before breathing out, in one short gasp, "You're never going to win this war."

"Ha!" Alecto snorted, her laughter echoing through the room and straight into Jimmy's ears. "I can't believe it. There is no _war_ , Mr. Marston. The Dark Lord has already _won_ — the Ministry's at his feet, and Harry Potter is nowhere to be found. It's a little late for your trademark Gryffindor bravery, don't you think?" She mumbled another spell under her breath and smiled pleasantly at the new gashes opening up under the boy's clothes, staining his school uniform and making him yell out in pain once again. When the pain seemed to subdue, she mumbled a _C_ _rucio_ under her breath and sent the boy into the most painful of agonies yet again, giggling happily at how his face twitched and contorted in anguish.

"Well, that's enough for now." Amycus glared at the boy solemnly, and did a taunting smile before addressing his sister again. "I've a class in five minutes. I think Marston's had enough for today, hasn't he?" When the boy refused to give his words an explicit approval, Amycus snorted and pulled at the boy's hair with his own bare hands before pushing him back onto his seat. "Take care of him, Alecto."

"That I will," his sister replied haughtily, and then pointed her wand towards Jimmy. The boy closed his eyes, too exhausted to even bother wondering what spell she might want to cast on him now, and simply leaned backwards on the chair until Alecto yelled, swishing her wand at him, " _Sectumsempra_!"

Jimmy's head rammed against the ground, and suddenly everything went black.

* * *

He woke up a few hours later, lying on the floor of their former Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. His entire body felt sore and the cuts on his face stung and made every inch of his head burn; on top of everything, there was a buzzing sound in his left ear that seemed to have caused a migraine on that side of his head. He slowly attempted to stand up, but fell to the floor with a _thud_ that made what little voice he had left leave his mouth in a small cry of pain. After a few more attempts, he finally managed to limp his way out of the room, constantly pressing his hand against his left temple or one of his various bleeding wounds. Jimmy had gotten into a fight or two, but he had never been beaten so badly before — the feeling of blood on his tongue and the dizziness that didn't quite go away even when he sat down were absolutely new to him, making his heart beat a little faster in an anxious gesture.

He realized that it was fairly late in the evening as soon as he stepped outside the classroom. The moon shone bright above him and its light pored through the corridors' windows, and there were no students around — he had entered the Carrows' office around five o'clock in the afternoon, so he assumed he must have been unconscious for at least a couple of hours after Amycus left. He gritted his teeth as a pang ran up from his leg, which had gotten a little swollen over the last few hours even though he couldn't quite remember being wounded there by the Carrows. He bit his lower lip to refrain himself from screaming out in pain and slowly kept making his way towards the Gryffindor common room, hoping that he would bump into one of his friends and get some help before he actually got there.

The first person to find him, however, was just about the last person that Jimmy would have thought of in that very moment.

"Jim?" Calvin's voice echoed through the corridor, and Jimmy had to squint to make his eyes focus on his teammate as he approached him. Surprisingly enough, the expression on the Slytherin's face was of genuine concern — Jimmy's poor state was very visible, after all, and finding him stumbling across an empty corridor in the middle of the night must have only made things worse. "Jimmy, what in Merlin's name has happened to you?" Before Jimmy could even utter out a word, Calvin carefully placed the Gryffindor's arm around his shoulders and wrapped his own arm around his waist. "Come on, I'll take you to the infirmary."

"N-no," Jimmy said hoarsely, shaking his head ever so lightly. "I — don't take me there. The Carrows will find out and it'll probably just make everything worse."

"What? The Carrows?" Calvin's eyebrows rose. Jimmy was too weak to focus on the boy's expression, but even in a dizzy state he was able to recognize the frown that had begun to form on his teammate's face. "I can't believe they've done this."

"Well, they have," Jimmy sighed simply, still not quite sure whether he should trust Calvin with the whole story after all. However, he was too weak to question the only person who seemed to be willing to help him at the time. "Please don't take me there."

"All right, all right." Calvin seemed to hesitate for a second, but then ultimately helped Jimmy make his way to a more discreet area and then gently helped him take a seat. When the Gryffindor had fully sat down on the floor, Calvin sighed as he began to roll his shirtsleeves up to his elbows. "I'm going to have to take care of those, I'm afraid. I learned some First Aid from Lena last year . . . don't ask." The boy squatted down to meet Jimmy's bright blue eyes, and felt a slight lump in his throat before pointing at his red-and-gold tie and asking, "May I?"

Jimmy nodded meekly — if he hadn't been so battered, Calvin could have thought he even seemed a little shy about it, but he loosened the Gryffindor's tie and slowly took of the first few buttons of his shirt, grimacing at the cuts and bruises that appeared underneath the fabric.

"It might take us a while to get this done," he announced carefully, biting his inner cheek a little as he studied the wounds on Jimmy's chest and neck. He then pulled out his wand and mumbled, " _Accio_ cotton and hydrogen peroxide." Once he had them both, he pointed at one of Jimmy's gashes and repeated, "May I?"

Jimmy nodded quietly, and then bit his lip when he felt the burning peroxide against his wounded skin. He closed his eyes and tried not to think about it — surprisingly enough, Calvin's soothing words made the whole thing a lot easier. "It's almost done, Jim. Don't worry. I'm going to give you a few stitches for a couple of those and then we'll try to find you some ice, all right?"

The Gryffindor cracked one eye open and nodded faintly, taking some time to observe Calvin's features. He had never been this close to him, not even during one of their Quidditch matches — he had thought about it in the past, obviously, but it suddenly dawned on him that Calvin _was_ fairly attractive. He wasn't good-looking in a classical way, because there were dark circles underneath his grey eyes and his freckles might have seemed too much for someone else. Instead, Jimmy thought quietly, he was handsome the way you'd think the devil as handsome — almost forbiddingly so, with his dark hair gleaming under the candlelights that pored over the school's corridor and his surprisingly well-built arms all over the Gryffindor's chest. He didn't know why, but he suddenly became very self-conscious of how completely and utterly pathetic he must have looked right then.

"Why are you helping me, Calvin?" He finally croaked, his voice still strained and not too confident — which was a rather rare thing in him. "You hate me."

Calvin shook his head as he finished stitching up one of the bigger gashes on Jimmy's chest. "I don't hate you. I — well, I've always had the impression that you don't like me very much, that's all."

"That's funny," Jimmy couldn't help but chuckle, although he fell silent again when Calvin leaned forwards — for a second he thought that the boy was about to kiss him, which made his heart skip oddly, but then he realized that he had just began to work on the cut on his temple. " _I_ thought you didn't like me. Being a Muggle-born and a Gryffindor, you know."

Calvin sighed, shaking his head. "My best friend's a Muggle-born, Jim."

"Well, yeah, but . . . "

"No, it's all right. I get that I'm not the friendliest person in the castle."

Jimmy felt a lump in his throat and shook his head lightly. "I — I'm sorry, really. For everything I said the last time we . . . "

"Argued. It's all right, I know for a fact that it wasn't a friendly conversation." A sad smile contorted Calvin's lips. "But yes, I'm sorry too. I get that you only wanted what was best for the group. They really like you, you know."

"Who likes me?" Jimmy asked, a slightly curious edge to his voice.

"The rest of the team." Calvin shrugged as he placed a clean piece of cotton on Jimmy's temple. "They adore you, to be honest."

"I'm assuming from that statement that you still don't like me very much, Klauson."

Calvin snorted, an indiscernible smile on his face. "Oh, I like you well enough, Marston." He let his fingers linger at Jimmy's cheek for a few seconds and then quickly pulled away, clearing his throat a little. "I — well, I think that's about it. Do you want me to help you get back to the Gryffindor tower?"

"That'd be great, thanks," Jimmy nodded, still studying every inch of Calvin's face carefully. The boy appeared to be almost entirely inscrutable, which intrigued him to no end. As the two boys rose to their feet — Calvin first, then Jimmy aided by the Slytherin's helping hand — he even allowed himself to smile a little.

"What's that, Jim?" Calvin asked as he adjusted himself to Jimmy's weight around his shoulders. They had similar complexions, but the Gryffindor was a couple of inches taller than him.

"Oh, nothing." Jimmy shrugged, even though the smile had not quite faded from his face yet. He couldn't help but think of how he secretly enjoyed the way he called him 'Jim' most of the time, instead of the usual 'Jimmy' or the exaggeratedly formal 'James'. His leg still felt sore, but the bandage that Calvin had neatly fastened around it made the pain a lot more bearable, allowing him to limp more or less at the Slytherin's pace.

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence until they reached the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, where the Fat Lady eyed them curiously before mumbling something about how a Slytherin was an extremely rare sight at the Gryffindor tower as of lately. Calvin gently let go of Jimmy's waist, and Jimmy hastily pulled his arm away from Calvin's shoulders, thus becoming once again two separate human beings.

"I reckon I should go back now," Calvin said cautiously. "I don't want you to get into trouble with your Housemates for hanging out with — well, someone like me." His eyes fell to his green-and-silver tie.

"That's bullshit," Jimmy said, perhaps a bit too quickly, and then took in a breath before adding, "I — I really don't know how to thank you. I've been an arsehole to you since . . . well, pretty much since we first met, and now you've helped me without expecting anything in exchange."

"That's what friends do, right?" Calvin shrugged meekly. It was hard for him not to feel a little lost in Jimmy's blue eyes, which seemed to him nearly as deep as the coasts of the Baltic Sea that he had grown up in.

Jimmy smiled at the word. _Friends_. He could work with that, he supposed. "Yeah, you're right. That's what friends do." He placed a hand on Calvin's shoulder and squeezed it ever so gently. "Good night, Cal."

"Good night, Jim."

Calvin's fingers brushed against Jimmy's for a second and, with that, the Slytherin trotted downstairs with a small smile playing on his lips.

* * *

 _Not gonna lie, I was dying to write that. The rest of the ensemble will be back in the next chapter, though — as always, stay tuned for more!_


	16. A Questioning With Chocolate Bars

_before they put me to work in a government camp_  
 _before they do my face up like a corpse and say "get up and dance"_  
 _before the beast comes looking for last year's rent_  
 _i would like to abuse my lungs_  
 _smoke everything in sight with every girl i've ever loved_  
 _ride around my wreckage on a horse knee-deep in blood_  
 _look out hollywood, here i come_

 **funtimes in babylon - father john misty**

* * *

"Calvin, mate," Bobby said. "Why are you _smiling_ so much?"

The boy's eyebrows arched in confusion at the borderline giddy expression that was stamped on Calvin's face. He had never seen him look _this_ happy and at peace with everything — he had even complimented him on the way his hair looked that morning, for Merlin's sake.

"What?" Calvin said innocently. "I'm not smiling."

 _Yes you are_ , Lena signaled. _What the hell is wrong with you, Cal. You don't_ smile _._

 _Uh, literally every single human being has the ability to smile_ , Calvin signaled back defensively. _It's a reflex gesture, Lena, did you know that?_

The girl stuck her tongue out at him and then signaled, _Whatever's gotten into you, just try and focus on the mission. You're questioning Crabbe tonight, aren't you?_

Calvin nodded, a more serious expression setting on his face. _Yeah, we are_ , he signaled in response. _Niko's been panicking about it for the past two weeks or so, but I think it'll be fine. The Veritaserum's ready, and we'll just lure him into our dormitory and make him spit out the names of the leaders of the organization and then erase his memory. We'll bring the definitive list with all their names and ranks within the organization to tomorrow's meeting, and then we'll just have to hunt them down individually and erase or modify their memories._

 _Sounds like a foolproof plan. Don't mess it up, you hear me?_

 _Why would I?_

 _I don't know. You've been acting a little strange lately_.

Bobby snorted before chiming into the conversation. _He really has, hasn't he? Perhaps he's finally gotten laid._

 _You two really need to stop theorizing about my sex life_.

However, his cheeks _had_ turned a soft pink, which didn't pass unnoticed to a very observant Lena. Bobby, on the other hand, just laughed and patted Calvin's back. "We're just messing with you, mate." When Calvin scrunched his nose at him, Bobby just snorted and shook his head.

"Why're you two messing with my mate Calvin?" Niko questioned from behind them a moment before wrapping an arm around Calvin's shoulders and patting his friend's back with a bright smile on his face.

"Well, this one looks exceptionally happy too," Bobby pointed out, laughing a little. "What's gotten into you two?"

"Me? I'm just happy because we're finally getting this whole mission over and done with." Niko said happily before taking a seat next to Calvin. "I can't believe we might even get to make it home before the Battle of Hogwarts."

"It's not like we'd risk anything if we stayed, though," Calvin said, shrugging his shoulders a little. "As far as I can remember, the Slytherins didn't fight at all. They were sent back to the dungeons by McGonagall before the Death Eaters arrived, so I reckon we'd be stuck here even if we wanted to help the others."

"Hopefully we won't be here anymore by the time the fighting begins." Niko shrugged, then patted his friend's shoulder. "We'd better get ready, Cal. I told Crabbe that I needed him to drop by our dormitory around seven, so he'll probably be there sometime soon. Bobby, you'll be there to guard the door, right?"

"I will," Bobby nodded hastily, rising to his feet before helping Lena up too. When the girl waved towards Catherine, who was quietly reading a book on the couch, Bobby signaled with a snarky expression, _And Lena here's going for a walk with her girlfriend in the meantime, I think._

Lena's cheeks flustered. _She's not my girlfriend. I still feel like she's straight, to be honest_.

Calvin couldn't help but chuckle as he stood up as well. _Well, now we know who's actually getting laid here_.

 _STOP_ , Lena signaled urgently, her cheeks now a bright red. _She can understand us, you know_.

 _So you're telling me she actually learned BSL for you?_ Niko signaled, a humorous expression on his face. _All right, you're_ definitely _getting laid sometime soon then_.

 _You three are just the_ worst _, you know_.

The three boys chuckled in unison when Lena showed them the middle finger before signaling something along the lines of ' _see you, suckers_ ' and heading off towards Catherine, who greeted her with a warm kiss to the cheek that, as Calvin noted, could _easily_ be read like a more than friendly gesture.

"All right, we'd better give them some intimacy," chuckled Niko, patting both of his friends' shoulders. "Let's go get ready, shall we?"

"Yeah," Bobby said. He flashed one last encouraging smile towards Lena, but the girl was already too engrossed in studying every feature of Catherine's face to notice. And with that, the three boys left the Slytherin common room.

* * *

Surprisingly enough, Vincent Crabbe knocked at their dormitory's door only two minutes past seven o'clock. Bobby was casually loitering around the corner, claiming to be waiting for Lena, but quickly tiptoed his way to the door after Crabbe had stepped inside and carefully took out his wand in case someone came looking for him. Inside, Calvin and Niko greeted the Seventh Year with cold, impersonal smiles, and pulled a chair out for him. They had strategically placed a chocolate bar injected with Veritaserum on Niko's bedside table, so that it would catch Crabbe's attention.

"So what's up?" Crabbe asked casually, crossing his arms as he took a seat. He might not have been the brightest lightbulb in the chandelier, but he sure knew better than to blindly trust anyone those days.

"Oh, nothing much," Calvin said, in the most casual tone that he could muster. "We were just wondering if you've any news from our leaders, seeing that we haven't been able to meet them yet."

"Well, you two only just joined us a couple of months ago," Crabbe replied, shrugging his shoulders. He then pointed at the chocolate bar and added, "Can I have some?"

"Sure, go ahead." Niko had to hide the thrilled smile that threatened to spread across his face — Vincent Crabbe really _was_ one of the most predictable people that he had ever come across. When the boy took the first bite off the chocolate bar, he cleared his throat and asked casually, "So, Crabbe — I'm just being curious here, but I was wondering if Malfoy's involved in our organization in any way? I know that he's fairly close to the Dark Lord, so we sort of assumed that he might be the one in charge of this whole thing."

"Draco? Nah, that'd be bollocks." Crabbe snorted, shaking his head. Calvin and Niko weren't sure if the Veritaserum had already begun to work its way through Crabbe's circulatory system, or if the boy was simply speaking out of spite. "He isn't a leader. And he's been acting really strange lately, so I don't think he's got anything to do with this whole thing."

"What do you mean, he's been acting strange?" Calvin pressed, now sitting across from Crabbe on Niko's bed.

Crabbe shrugged. "I mean that he's a little off, I guess. He's always in a bad mood and looking all worried and serious. Well, he's always been fairly serious, but I don't know. He used to be more of a . . . more of a leader?"

"Of course," Calvin said quietly, nodding his head. He then glanced towards Niko, unsure about what to ask next, but when his friend offered him an encouraging nod he simply added, "So who's in charge of _this_ , Crabbe? Who's been recruiting students for the past few months for the Dark Lord, and why are they doing it?"

"Oh, that's an easy one." Crabbe's expression seemed to relax, which was a rather common side effect of Veritaserum. "Theodore Nott. We've been roommates since First Year, but I still couldn't believe it when he told us. Draco was furious about the whole idea, and Goyle didn't want to get in trouble with Draco, so I was the only one who accepted his offer."

Calvin and Niko grinned at each other triumphantly. They had _finally_ found the culprit — and the best thing about it was that it had only taken some mildly advanced Potion-making skills and a chocolate bar to trick Crabbe into telling them.

"All right, Crabbe," Niko patted the Seventh Year's shoulder, allowing himself to let out an amused laugh. "That's great. We've one more question for you, though — you've been in the organization since the beginning?" The other boy nodded hastily. "Good. So could you give us a few more names? I don't know, people who are under Nott's direct orders and such."

"Well, there's Tracey Davis, Millicent Bulstrode, Blaise Zabini, a Hufflepuff who's been a bit of a twat as of lately," Crabbe recited a few more names and then shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, there's twenty or twenty-five of us in total, but Zabini's been Nott's right-hand man since the beginning."

"I knew it," Niko mumbled, shaking his head. He had never trusted Zabini, not for a second, and it felt somewhat satisfying to know that his mistrust had not stemmed from an unfounded impression of his fellow Slytherin. He patted Crabbe's shoulder once again. "I think that's enough for now, Crabbe. You've been _really_ helpful, I promise." He glanced towards Calvin, who had already pulled out his wand, and tilted his head towards Crabbe ever so lightly. "Let's get this over with, Cal."

When Vincent Crabbe stepped outside of the Sixth Year boys's dormitory in the Slytherin dungeons, he couldn't remember a single thing that had happened in the past half hour other than a vague taste of chocolate at the back of his tongue.

* * *

"So it's bloody Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini," a grin spread across Elodie's face as she read the list in which Calvin had neatly written down the names of every single member of the Death Eater network that they were now about to dismantle. "I knew it. You two have done an amazing job."

The rest of the group looked visibly thrilled as well. The Room of Requirement looked somewhat brighter that day, and perhaps it had something to do with the way the fourteen students' mood had improved when Calvin and Niko had stormed in, nearly fifteen minutes late to the meeting, waving the final list with equally proud expressions on their faces.

"Well bloody done, you two," Bobby said, wrapping an arm around each of his friends' shoulders and hugging them tightly. "We're almost done with this whole business, and it's all thanks to you."

"It really is," Caroline said, a small smile on her face. " _Bravo_."

"Are you sure you erased his memory correctly, though?" Celine asked, frowning a little. The girl may have developed a rather friendly relationship with most of the group after all, but the perfectionist inside her couldn't help but pop out every now and then. "We don't want to get into any more trouble." She discreetly jerked her thumb at Jimmy, whose face still branded a couple of stitched cuts and bruises from the afternoon that he had spent at the Carrows' office. The Gryffindor gave her the middle finger, but his expression seemed to soften a bit when Calvin offered him a discreet smile. Maggie, who was sitting next to her best friend, frowned a little at the way Jimmy and Calvin seemed to subtly glance at each other, but only sighed and shook her head a little.

"So we need to track them all down now, right?" Alex asked. "The Hufflepuff you were talking about earlier is actually one of my roommates, so I could take care of him if that's all right. I _knew_ something was off about him since the very first day."

"That'd be great, yes," Elodie said, nodding her head. "I think we could handle the Ravenclaws. Simon's great at memory spells, aren't you Si?"

Simon shrugged his shoulders in a humble gesture, but Brooklyn was quick to answer, "He is. He's the best, actually."

"I really am not, Brooke," the boy said, nudging his friend. When Brooklyn nudged him back, he just stuck his tongue out at her and laughed a little. "All right, all right. We'll take care of it, together."

"And the rest of us could take care of the Slytherins, right?" Thea concluded. "There's no way you're keeping us three out of this." She placed a hand on Jimmy's shoulder, and the other one on Maggie's.

"Don't worry, we weren't planning to shun you three from the spotlight," Calvin chuckled, shaking his head. "You can come with us and help, obviously."

"You don't need to be a prick about it, though," Maggie snapped back, crossing her arms. She couldn't help but notice that, instead of feeling offended by Calvin's snarky remark as he usually did, Jimmy even snickered a little at it. "Didn't we agree on, I don't know, working together without belittling the rest of the group?"

"Who's said anything about belittling anyone?" Calvin asked, his brow furrowing.

"Come on, Mags, he's only joking," Jimmy said quickly. The instinct to defend Calvin was unexpected, unwarranted, but he didn't even feel confused about it anymore. As for the rest of the group, they couldn't quite believe their ears — the idea of Jimmy and Calvin not bickering at each other on a daily basis anymore was already quite the novelty for most of them, let alone the idea of having the Gryffindor actively _defend_ him in front of the girl who had always been his best friend, his partner in crime, his sister in everything but blood.

Maggie just frowned, surprised by Jimmy's reaction, and shrugged her shoulders defensively. "All right, I guess."

Kanon placed a hand on Maggie's shoulder. "Hey, it's no big deal. We're all working together, aren't we?" Maggie nodded quietly. When she looked up at Kanon, who was standing in front of her, the Hufflepuff's warm smile eased the strange feeling at the bottom of her gut a little.

"All right, so it's all settled for now," Elodie said, clapping her hands together in a clear gesture of excitement. "We're nearly done with this. I never thought I'd get to say this, but — well done, all of you. Let's go get some memories erased — would it be all right to meet here around, say, six o'clock on Friday, so that we can report on how the whole thing's going?" When the rest of the group nodded, the girl grinned. "Brilliant. Well, I'm going to go to the library now — I've a bit of reading on memory spells to do!"

"I'll join you," Celine said quickly. "I'm not great at them, and I guess Simon could always use some help."

"I really am not that good, you two," the boy said, his cheeks flustering ever so lightly. He glanced at Maggie, who still looked somewhat upset, and squeezed her hand before adding, "I'll see you in the common room then, if that's all right."

A few others decided to join Elodie's short trip to the library, and a few others agreed to go down to the fields and enjoy one last stroll through the castle's grounds before 'going home'. The sky shone above them for the first time in months, in one of those rare April days in which everything seemed possible and everyone's chest bubbled with anticipation, feeling that things _might_ get better for them after all and that the war would soon become a distant memory for all fourteen of them, back in the comfort of their 2018 beds and schoolmates and classes and safe trips to Hogsmeade on warm spring mornings.

Maggie and Simon were the last ones to leave the Room of Requirement. The girl was still visibly upset, biting her lip and averting her eyes. Simon placed an arm around her shoulders and hugged her tightly.

"I don't know what's wrong with Jimmy," the girl said quietly. "He came back from the Carrows' office, all battered and bruised, and yet there was this stupid smile on his face the whole time. He's been so off lately, and now he's literally _snapped_ back at me when Calvin was being a prick as always."

"You know, he wasn't being _that_ much of a prick," Simon said tentatively, as he brushed a strand of brown curls away from Maggie's face. "He . . . well, he isn't great at socializing, but I sort of get that, to be honest. And nothing's wrong with Jimmy, other than the fact that he seems to be _falling in love_."

"Falling in love?" The girl echoed, her brow furrowing in confusion. "What do you mean, _falling in love_? Jimmy doesn't do _love_. He's had plenty of flings and brief relationships, but he's never been in love, I know that much."

"Well, there's a first time for everything, isn't there?"

"But with who?" Maggie's expression had become more curious than sad at that point. She sat up on her chair and frowned a little at her boyfriend, unsure of how to phrase her question. "Who do you think he's in love with?"

Simon couldn't help but laugh. "Merlin, Maggie, you're so _oblivious_ sometimes."

"Who — is my best friend — in love with?" The girl poked her boyfriend's stomach every time she made a pause, her eyebrows rising every single time.

" _Calvin_ ," Simon said, in an amused tone. "He's in love with Calvin, Mags. Can't you see? They were practically eye-shagging each other earlier. I don't know what's changed between them, but I'll be damned if those two don't end up together at some point."

Maggie gaped at him. She couldn't believe her boyfriend's words at first — but deep down, as she remembered how Jimmy's attitude towards Calvin had been shifting subtly ever since their last argument, she found herself reflecting that it _was_ quite a plausible idea after all. But _how_? Jimmy had spent their first years at Hogwarts making fun of Calvin's snobbish attitude and the way he only hung out with other rich Slytherins with a reputable blood status. How could he have fallen in love with him all of a sudden?

"I'm _so_ questioning him as soon as I find him," the girl mumbled, shaking her head incredulously.

Simon just laughed and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Do as you wish, Mags. But can we go for a walk now?"

"All right, all right."

As the Room of Requirement disappeared behind them, Maggie couldn't help but think of how she'd tease Jimmy to no end if he _did_ have a thing going on with Calvin after all.

* * *

 _Hormones . . . they're the worst, aren't they? Anyway, hope you enjoyed this one. Shit's really about to go down — so stay tuned for more! :D_


	17. Stupefied!

_i want to stand up, i want to let go_  
 _you know, you know - no you don't, you don't_  
 _i want to shine on in the hearts of men_  
 _i want a meaning from the back of my broken hand_

 **all these things that i've done - the killers**

* * *

Brooklyn had never been in a fight. Not really. She had argued verbally with her family and friends or even people at school, but she had never been in a physical fight, where her magical skills and her own bare hands were involved. Needless to say, she was _awfully_ scared of the idea of having to face a Death Eater on her own. Luckily enough, she was surrounded by friends — so the first time they openly confronted one of the Ravenclaw Death Eaters all she did was stupefy him while Celine and Elodie attacked him in a more, say, _verbal_ way. Simon observed from behind them and, once the boy had been knocked out, proceeded to cast a memory spell on him so that he would completely forget about his involvement in the school's Death Eater network. Brooklyn felt an immense relief when they sneaked out of the crime scene — as Celine had luridly put it — entirely unscathed and with one less memory to erase.

"Well, that went quite all right, didn't it?" Elodie asked as they made their way back to the Ravenclaw common room, where they would begin their search for the other Ravenclaw who was involved in the network — a Fifth Year girl called Olenna Piers, who had been described by Calvin and Niko as a 'short girl with bleach-blonde hair and grey eyes'.

"It was a piece of cake, yeah," Simon said jokingly. "I almost thought Brooklyn was going to faint right before she stupefied him, though."

"What? Me?" Brooklyn's cheeks turned a soft red. "No, I'm all right. I promise. It's just that it sometimes feels a little too overwhelming to be doing — well, this. But I'm fine, I promise."

"I know, I know," Simon nodded his head and wrapped a friendly arm around her, not unlike he had done over the past few years whenever she was feeling upset. "But remember what I told you back when we left our time — we're all fine. You're fine. And I'm fine, too. I'm just on the verge of a panic attack."

Brooklyn had to stifle a laugh. "Yeah, I remember. I sometimes feel like we're hardly the same people who left 2018, though. And yet not a full minute will have gone by when we get back."

Elodie nodded. "Yeah, that'll be a little strange. I'd never really stopped to think about it, but it'll almost be like having to keep an entire year of our lives to ourselves. Our parents, our friends, our siblings . . . hell, even our partners and children if we ever decide to start a family."

"It'll be ours to keep," Simon mused distractedly. "You know, that's quite a solid thing to bond over."

"It is," Celine said. "Just picture us all gathering up at, I don't know, Bobby's house when we're all thirty or thirty-one and talking about this whole thing, because the fourteen of us are the only ones who will ever know about an entire year of our lives. It's — it's bollocks, to be honest."

The other three nodded in agreement, their expressions pensive for the next few minutes. Once they got to the Ravenclaw common room, Elodie and Brooklyn took a seat on the couch, whereas Celine and Simon decided to discreetly guard the staircase from one of the tables just in case Olenna happened to come out of her dormitory in the meantime. The girl was nowhere to be seen, though — they had managed to find out from one of her roommates that she had a pretty busy timetable, as she took plenty of optative classes and was working on her O.W.L.s like there was no tomorrow. A tight timetable wasn't an uncommon thing in a Ravenclaw, after all — most of them felt so curious about their elective subjects when Third Year rolled around that they had some trouble narrowing their choice down to two or three of them.

Simon and Celine thought they had spotted Olenna a couple of times — a couple of blonde-haired girls who happened to strut from the dormitories to the common room, but none of them fit the description that Calvin and Niko had given them more than in a rather vague way. They exchanged glances with Elodie and Brooklyn every now and then, their expressions growing increasingly impatient — that is, until a young girl around the age of fifteen walked into the common room and stopped right next to the table where Simon and Celine were sat to greet a group of Fifth Years gleefully.

"Hey, Olenna!" One of the girls said, a bright smile on her face. The girl, whose hair was a very light blonde and was indeed very short, _had_ to be the Olenna that the four of them were looking for, which made Elodie and Brooklyn cautiously get up from the couch and approach their friends in a casual manner.

"What do we do now?" Brooklyn asked through the corner of her mouth. "She's with her friends."

"I think I've got an idea." Elodie coughed a little, and swiftly took the Prefect badge that she had always worn on her cloak back in 2018 and placed it back where it belonged. She had been keeping it in her pocket ever since they got to 1997, thinking that it might come in handy sometime — and, as per usual, she had been right about it. The girl moved swiftly and determinedly towards the group of Fifth Years, and addressed them with the cool tone that Simon and Brooklyn quickly recognized as the one she tended to use while on Prefect duty.

"Hey, girls," she said, her voice not unkind but also somewhat strict. "Professor Flitwick has asked me to fetch Olenna Piers for some private meeting with him. Do you happen to know her?"

Olenna frowned a little at the girl's words, but didn't dare question them when she saw the slight gleam of her Prefect badge on the lapel of her cloak. "That's me. But I haven't asked Professor Flitwick to meet privately, well, ever. Is anything the matter?"

Elodie did a cool shrug. "I don't know, he wouldn't say. Just come with me, please."

The younger girl glanced at her friends doubtfully, probably worrying about whether she might have gotten into trouble for some reason that she didn't quite understand yet, but finally rose to her feet and nodded at Elodie. "All right, whenever you're ready."

Elodie nodded and then briefly tilted her head towards Brooklyn, as though telling her to follow them too. The girl felt a lump in her throat, but nodded at her friend in response. Simon and Celine simply shared a concerned glance, but gave Brooklyn a light squeeze to her hand before the girl left.

"D'you think they'll be able to handle her, just the two of them?" Celine asked doubtfully, her brow creased in worry. She probably wouldn't admit it unless it was absolutely necessary, but she _had_ grown quite fond of Elodie and Brooklyn over the past few months. "Shouldn't we go after them?"

"Nah, they'll be fine," Simon said with a firm nod. "They're both great witches, and we do deserve to get some rest before meeting up with the rest of the group tomorrow."

"All right then."

* * *

"Leave — me — alone!" Olenna grumbled for the umpteenth time, trying to free herself from the tight knot that Brooklyn had masterfully tied her hands with by using an exceptionally well-cast _incarcero_ spell. "I've no idea what you two are talking about!"

"Oh, really?" Elodie said, her nose scrunching. They had brought the girl into the Room of Requirement right after Brooklyn stupefied her on their way to Professor Flitwick's office, but she had woken up before they could cast a memory spell on her to wipe her memory — so they now had to deal with a conscious Olenna, who was surprisingly persuasive and equally blatant about admitting to what her relationship with the Death Eater network was.

"Some of the members of the organization claimed to know you from their meetings," Brooklyn said calmly, which was only a half-truth. Niko and Calvin _had_ seen Olenna in a few meetings, but the girl had never had a real conversation with either of them. "It's useless to fight, Olenna. We'll simply erase your memory and everything will be forgotten. You don't want to go down in History as Voldemort's ally, do you?"

"So what if I do?" Olenna snapped back. "You know, I feel safer now that he's taken care of the Wizarding World. All those _Muggles_ slowly creeping their way into our school, our villages, our lifestyles and traditions . . . "

"Merlin, she _does_ sound like a bloody nazi," Elodie mumbled. When both Olenna and Brooklyn frowned at her in confusion, probably unaware of what a 'nazi' was, she just shook her head a little and pointed her wand at Olenna. "I'm just saying that you're being a bloody prick."

"Oh, am I?" Olenna snorted. "I'm not the one who's tied up a fellow Housemate and tossed her into some . . . empty classroom to extort them."

"We're not extorting you," Brooklyn replied. "We're simply asking you to give up on your idea of actively following You-Know-Who. And if you don't, we will simply erase your memory. We've told you a million times."

"This is tosh," Olenna said, shaking her head. "As soon as I'm out of here I'm going to go tell the Carrows and Headmaster Snape and I — "

The end of the girl's sentence hung in midair after Elodie stupefied her yet again, leaving the girl unconscious for the second time in that evening. Brooklyn bit her lip worriedly as she peered at the girl's expression.

"Let's try not to hurt her, all right?" She asked, her tone a little brisk. "We've talked about this, El."

"All right, all right, sorry," Elodie said, her hands rising in defeat. "I just couldn't stand her blabbering about all that rubbish anymore. The little prick — and I thought the only rotten apples were the Slytherins."

Brooklyn shrugged a little. "You'd be surprised by the amount of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws that joined Voldemort's ranks." She then pulled her wand out and pointed it at the still unconscious Olenna. "Should we proceed with the memory spell then?"

"Yes, please. I want to get this over and done with as soon as possible."

Brooklyn nodded, and then cleared her throat before saying firmly, " _Obliviate_." A blue streak of light emanated from the tip of her wand and slowly made its way to Olenna's temple, where it seemed to halt for a second, and then slowly started working on the unconscious girl's brain. Brooklyn observed it all quietly and briefly reflected on how such a simple gesture could have an immense impact on someone else's life — she was fairly sure they were doing the right thing by erasing Olenna's memory, because it would ultimately spare her a lot of trouble and guilt once the war was over. She hoped that the unconscious hatred that the girl seemed to feel against the Muggle world would fade eventually, and that she would someday raise her children — if she were to have any, because Brooklyn hated imposing that sort of things on other women — in a much more liberal way.

When the spell's white-blue streak of light faded out, she pocketed her wand and kneeled beside Olenna to untie her hands. "Let's leave her in a comfortable position in the corridor, shall we?"

Elodie nodded quietly as she placed her arms underneath Olenna's armpits while Brooklyn seized her legs, exactly the same way they had carried the other Ravenclaw's unconscious body a few hours earlier. Brooklyn couldn't help but wonder if she would ever be able to completely come to terms with the moral conflict that their mission was inflicting on her — she knew that they weren't doing the wrong thing, but she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt as she thought of how they had irrupted into several people's memories and messed with them without their consent. Speaking in Kantian terms, like Simon would always say back in 2018, they were in a 'morally ambiguous situation', and Brooklyn still couldn't decide whether she felt guilty or not about tampering with time like this.

She was therefore surprised by her friend's question as they placed Olenna's unconscious body on the floor again, this time with her back leaning against the wall and her hands resting on her lap. "D'you think we're doing the right thing, Brooke?"

She bit her lip and gave herself a few seconds before answering. "I hope we are, El."

Her friend nodded, and then placed an arm around her shoulders. "Let's go back to the common room, then. One less Death Eater to go."

* * *

The only Hufflepuff Death Eater was, in fact, fairly easy to handle. Alex had quickly stupefied him and Caroline had erased his memory within seconds — they didn't even need to lure him into the Room of Requirement, or talk him into following them, or even let the boy know that they were following him. Most of the Slytherins were easy to tackle, too — Niko and Lena excelled at catching their Housemates offguard in the most convenient situations, and Calvin and Bobby were usually quick to cast a few spells on them and leave them with no memory of the organization that they had been involved in for the past few months. All eleven of them therefore looked joyful and happy with what they had achieved when the group met up for breakfast the following day. Except for Jimmy, who was looking unusually somber for some reason that the rest of the group couldn't quite explain.

"What's wrong, Jimmy?" Alex asked as he wiped away a smear of butter from the corner of his mouth.

"We should probably change the subject until we're in the Room of Requirement," Celine warned, glancing towards a group of Slytherins who seemed to be eyeing them suspiciously from their table.

"We can't use the Room of Requirement anymore," Jimmy sighed as he ran a trembling hand through his hair. "That's — that's the bloody problem."

Most of his teammates' expressions fell. Brooklyn furrowed her brow and asked, "What do you mean, we can't use it anymore?"

"We can't use it if other people are already inside," Jimmy whispered, averting his eyes. "Neville told me yesterday that he and a few other members of the Army were going to go into hiding there, because the Carrows were looking for them. I tried to talk him out of it and told him that they could surely wait it all out by staying inside the Gryffindor tower, but he wouldn't listen. That's why he and Ginny haven't come down for breakfast today — they're hiding there, with Seamus Finnigan and a few other students. He told me we could join them, and I honestly feel like it's a good idea if we can't go . . . well, go home."

"There's no bloody way we're staying until the battle's over," Caroline said firmly, tightening her grip around her spoon involuntarily. "Just — just get them to leave the Room for a few minutes and we'll leave and then they can settle in it again, all right? But we _have_ to leave. We've erased everyone's memories, and our mission is essentially done."

"I don't know," Jimmy insisted, shaking his head a little. "I know it's risky, but I . . . I sometimes feel like we should stay and help. Like our mission wouldn't be one-hundred percent done if we left without helping them through the battle. I feel like Professor Longbottom would want us to."

"Are you even listening to yourself?" Celine snapped, her expression clearly angry now. "What do you _mean_ , we should stay here and fight? This isn't our war, Jimmy. It isn't ours to fight, and it isn't ours to die for. Have you even thought of what would happen if one of us died?" She whispered, feeling a lump in her throat. "No, of course you haven't. I sometimes wonder if there's something other than air under all those curls."

"Hey," Jimmy protested, his eyebrows knitting, and pointed at the girl with her spoon. "Nobody's telling you to fight. _I_ want to fight. And besides, there's no way we're getting them to leave the Room of Requirement before the battle begins, so we might as well try and help them out a little."

"So you're suggesting that all fourteen of us should just go live like hermits until the battle?" Bobby asked incredulously.

Jimmy gulped. "Well — not all fourteen of us. Neville was very firm about it — Thea, Maggie, Elodie, Simon, Celine, Brooklyn and I can go, but since he doesn't really know the rest of you . . . well, he thought it wouldn't be a good idea. Said that it could compromise the entire Army and he didn't want to take that risk." He averted his eyes when he realized that there was a faint gleam of disappointment in Calvin's eyes.

Thea sighed and rubbed her temples. "All right, this is a bit too much. Jimmy's partly right — we're not going to be able to just drag them out of the Room of Requirement before the fighting begins, so I guess we're going to have to wait it all out somehow. But becoming an active part of the battle — I don't know, Jimmy, it sounds too risky. We're just _kids_ , after all."

"Well, if it comes down to it, I want to fight," Alex said, shrugging a little as he took a sip from his orange juice.

"Me too," said Maggie, nodding her head a little and squeezing her best friend's shoulder in a comforting way.

A few voices agreed to Alex and Maggie's words, but most of the group remained skeptical about the sudden turn that their mission had taken. They had always been very much aware of the possibility of finding themselves trapped in the battle for some reason, but they had never thought that they would actually have to wait for it to be over to go home. A few of them shifted uncomfortably on their seats, and a couple of them even pushed their cereal bowls away, feeling how something very different to hunger gnawed at their stomaches.

"So," Kanon said softly. "What will the rest of us do in the meantime?"

Jimmy shrugged quietly. "Supervise the students whose memories we just erased, watch out for any news that could come in handy. You do know how to find the Room of Requirement if something important happens, after all. We'll find you when the right time comes."

"All right," Elodie said, her tone still dubious. "So we stay with them for a couple of weeks, then the battle begins, then we somehow make it back without getting killed. That's the new plan, right?" When Jimmy nodded, she sighed a little and placed a hand on her forehead. "Merlin, I hope you're right about this, Jimmy."

"There's nothing else we can do for now." Brooklyn shrugged quietly. "We'll have to wait and see how it all goes."

 _Yes_ , Lena signaled. _I just hope none of us gets killed because of our poor organization skills_.

"We'll be fine," Bobby said reassuringly. "Let's try and forget about it for now, all right?"

 _All right, all right_.

Jimmy sighed, feeling how his chest tightened at the idea of losing one of his teammates because of the change in their plans that had just been unanimously accepted, even though he knew most of them were absolutely terrified by the idea of finding themselves in the middle of a real battle, struggling for air and dodging all sorts of deadly spells.

At that point, he could only hope that Bobby was right about how everything, somehow, would be fine.

* * *

 _Dun dun dun . . . there goes another twist! I can't believe we're getting so close to the end — omg, I'm so excited about what's to come. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for more! :-)_


	18. It's Always Darkest Before Dawn - Part 1

_well i wish that i was comfortable in my own skin_  
 _but the whole thing feels like an exercise_  
 _and trying to be someone i would rather not be_  
 _i tried to second-guess if you would be approving_  
 _i find my life ever so moving_  
 _keen, wide-eyed and unassuming_

 **no hope - the vaccines**

* * *

Saying goodbye to their Gryffindor and Ravenclaw teammates, no matter how temporary the situation was, was absolutely heartbreaking for the other half of the group. The seven members of the team who were to join Dumbledore's Army in the Room of Requirement had packed their schoolbags with clean clothes and some food, and had hugged the rest goodbye with sad smiles on their faces and even a few teary eyes. Lena had found herself rubbing her eyes furiously after hugging Brooklyn a lot tighter than she had expected to, and Calvin had to fight back the lump in his throat when Jimmy gave him a heartfelt hug before leaving for the Room of Requirement. Niko had made Simon promise that they would tell them everything about the Army and Harry Potter once they were all together again, and Bobby was surprised by the warmth of Thea's farewell hug. The four of them returned to the Slytherin dungeon with equally sad gestures on their faces, lost in thought and wishing the best for their now-absent friends.

 _I never thought I'd miss them this much_ , said Lena a few days later as the four of them huddled together in the common room. _At least Kanon, Caroline and Alex are still around most of the time_.

 _It still isn't the same without them_ , Bobby signaled in response, his lips twitching into a sad smile.

 _Hey, we'll see them in a few days, right?_ , said Niko. However, his words weren't exactly comforting — they would only get to see them again right before the battle, or perhaps even right in the middle of it. If they ever saw them again at all, Lena thought miserably, although she ultimately refrained from sharing that idea with her friends.

 _It's certainly strange, not having them around_ , Calvin said, his lips tight and his expression even more indecipherable than usual. Lena fixed her eyes on him for a few seconds and secretly wondered whether his general glumness had anything to do with a certain Gryffindor's absence.

 _They'll be fine_ , Bobby said reassuringly. _I bet Maggie and Jimmy are playing loads of Exploding Snap while Simon reads and Brooklyn practices new spells and Celine and Thea tell each other stories about their families and Elodie makes sure they're all well and safe, because she's incapable of forgetting her Prefect duties for a second_.

Bobby's last remark sent all four of them into a fit of giggles. It was incredible to see how well they had gotten to know each other over the course of a single school year — after all, they _had_ spent a lot of time together, and some of their teammates' traits had even rubbed off on them a little. Brooklyn's friendship with Jimmy had made her a little more reckless, and Simon's relationship with Maggie had made the girl a little calmer and more focused on staying grounded. Kanon had managed to soften Celine's heart to its very fibres, and Lena's snarky remarks had become one of Elodie's new favourite things. They had all influenced each other, inadvertently helping their teammates overcome their greatest fears and worries by simply caring for them. They did share a beautiful bond in spite of everything, Lena reflected quietly, and she secretly found herself hoping they would stay in touch once they got back to their time. _If_ they ever got back, that is.

 _I'm gonna go for a bit_ , she signaled a while later. _Catherine asked me if I wanted to go for a walk after her Arithmancy class, so. Yeah._

 _Enjoy the snogging session!_ , Niko teased her. The girl stuck her tongue out at him — in spite of having grown exceptionally close to her for the past few months, Catherine was nothing but a good friend to her, and Lena had reluctantly accepted the fact that her new friend probably wasn't even attracted to girls. So instead of getting her hopes up, she had let a beautiful friendship blossom between the two of them, and she was still glad she had gotten to know her so well. Even if it meant struggling with the fact that she could barely restrain herself from kissing her whenever they were together.

 _I'll see you at supper_ , she signaled. When her three friends waved her goodbye, she flashed one last smile at them before leaving the Slytherin common room and setting foot to the Arithmancy classroom. She arrived just in time — Catherine was waving one of her friends goodbye when she turned around and grinned at the sight of Lena's messy red curls and the sea of freckles that were her cheeks. She gave her a warm hug right after that, which made Lena's heart melt a little — Catherine was one of those girls who was prone to showing physical affection to her friends as often as possible, which Lena both loved and hated at the same time.

 _How's your day been?_ , Catherine signaled as they made their way towards the gardens. The girl had been an exceptionally fast learner, and by that time she could perfectly communicate through BSL. _I've just had the dullest Arithmancy class, I swear_.

 _I thought you liked Arithmancy?_ , Lena replied, then shrugged a little. _I'm good. I just had Potions and Dark Arts and then hung out with the boys for a bit_. Lena tended to refer to her friends as 'the boys' when Catherine was around — she didn't know why, but she didn't want her to think that she was in a relationship with any of them or something like that.

 _Yeah, and I like it, but I don't know. Sometimes I feel like we're not even getting any of the coursework done. We're just too scared to do it, like we're constantly waiting for something to happen and disrupt the lesson_. Catherine's expression was now a worried one, but it softened when her eyes met Lena's. _But anyway, I'm glad I'm done for today. I really wanted to see you_.

Lena felt a twinge in her stomach. _Really?_ , she signaled, a bit incredulously.

 _Of course, silly_ , Catherine said, a broad smile on her face. _I love it when we're together_.

Lena hoped she hadn't blushed at that last bit. _Me too_. She then took in a little breath before adding, _Hey, I needed to talk to you about something_.

 _What is it?_

 _It's just that I, well — I might leave the school in a few days_. Lena bit her lip, averting her eyes ever so lightly — after all, she couldn't completely gaze away from Catherine, in case she had something to say.

Her friend looked visibly startled. _What? You're going into hiding too? Is everything all right with your parents?_

 _No, no, they're fine_ , she signaled quickly. She couldn't help but find it ironic to think that her parent must have been around her age right then, attending their Muggle schools and hanging out with their Muggle friends and leading two very normal and still separate Muggle lifestyles. _It's just that I won't be around anymore after the . . . first couple of days of May, or so_.

She didn't want to meet Catherine's gaze, because she knew what to expect right from the beginning. When she did, she felt how her heart broke into a million tiny pieces, because her friend's face had scrunched up in an attempt not to cry, and she was now holding a hand to her mouth, struggling not to show how truly wretched she felt by her friend's news.

 _Please don't leave me here_ , she managed to signal finally, biting her lip until it went white. _You can't leave. Not you_.

 _I don't want to leave, either_ , Lena signaled, the sad smile on her face slowly turning into a more tearful expression. _I'm so sorry, Cath_.

 _Promise me you'll come back_.

 _I can't. Sorry_.

 _Why are you doing this?_

 _It's hard to explain. You wouldn't believe me if I told you_.

 _Then try_.

 _I just can't, Cath. I'm sorry_.

 _Please don't go. Please_.

 _Cath, I —_

But she was cut off by Catherine when the girl placed her hands on Lena's cheeks and pressed her lips against hers. Lena felt how her friend's tears streamed down her face, and it broke her heart even more to be unable to relish on the fact that someone as gorgeous and incredible as Catherine had given her her first kiss. She didn't know what to do, but she ran her fingers down her friend's blonde hair and pressed her forehead against hers when Catherine pulled away.

 _Please don't go_ , her friend gestured again, a pleading expression on her face.

Lena shook her head. There were tears in her eyes now, too. _I can't stay. I'm sorry._ She stepped away from Catherine very slowly, then rubbed her eyes before signaling, _I have to go now_. Because the whole situation was too much for her and because she couldn't stand the idea of losing Catherine, especially after having _bloody kissed her_.

She turned around and ran back to the castle, in case Catherine tried to chase her. She knew that she would probably have to face her later — she was one of her roommates, after all, and they shared quite a number of classes, but at that moment she thought it was for the best. She would have never even thought of simply disappearing on her and, even though she couldn't quite give her an explanation as to why she had to leave the school, she felt like she owed her the right to know.

It still hurt like nothing else ever had, though.

* * *

May 1st was a strange day. Everyone went about their day as they usually would — blissfully unaware of the battle that was going to take place in a little over a day, the students still listened to their teachers and tried to look on the bright side of things like they had been doing ever since they first got to the castle that year. Kanon, however, knew that the rays that shone bright above the school fields were the las streaks of light before they plunged into an abyss of darkness, and that more than one of those students who still managed to crack a laugh from their friends in spite of the Carrows' tight grip around the school would not live past the following night. Human life, she realized, was absolutely volatile, and even though all of them felt nearly eternal at the age of seventeen the truth was that their hearts could stop beating any second. Or what was worse, that the hearts of the people they loved the most could stop beating while theirs still went on, pumping blood to a numb brain that would become a museum of memories of those who had just left them. Kanon tried not to think about it too much, but it had been a recurring idea ever since half of their team had joined a reassembling Dumbledore's Army in the Room of Requirement — the idea of not getting to see one of those seven human beings again scared her to death, but if something scared her even more than that was to lose Alex, or Caroline, who were her family in everything but blood. She didn't know what would have become of her if she hadn't met them on her first day at Hogwarts, and she couldn't imagine her life without them. But she sometimes felt like she had to be realistic, for the sake of her own mental stability. They _were_ on the verge of the most vicious battle of the Second Wizarding War, after all, and one could only hope that all fourteen of them would make it through the following day and get home as safely and as quickly as possible.

The three Hufflepuffs had quietly resolved to attend their classes that day in spite of everything that was about to come, so as not to raise any more suspicion on themselves. Alex still branded a yellow-purple bruise underneath his right eye — courtesy of one of the Carrows' Slytherin cronies, who had questioned him about his friends' whereabouts a few nights ago. Loyal and bold as ever, Alex had simply shrugged and claimed not to know what the boy was talking about, which earned him a few blows to his face and an angry Slytherin who fumed and threatened him with his eyes every time they crossed paths in the corridors.

"I'm sure Thea will think you look absolutely _dashing_ anyway, Alex," Caroline teased, in an attempt to brighten her friend's mood. "It does give you a . . . I don't know, a sort of _gallant_ touch."

"Gallant?" Alex echoed, narrowing his eyes. "It hurts like _hell_ , I don't care about looking bloody gallant right now."

Kanon sighed and placed a hand on Alex's shoulder. "Come on, she's just trying to help." She squeezed his shoulder and offered him a gentle smile. "Aren't you thrilled about getting to see her again in a few hours, though?"

Alex scratched his other cheek, visibly embarrassed. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm looking forward to seeing all seven of them, yes, if that's what you mean."

"Come on, Alex," Caroline scoffed. "We're not blind. You're _obsessed_ with her, and it's sort of cute, to be honest."

A smile played on the boy's lips in spite of the soreness he still felt under his eye. "Don't be silly."

"Have you told her?" Kanon asked, a somewhat dreamy gleam appearing in her eyes. She might not have had much of a particular interest in having a relationship at that time, but she felt ecstatic about the idea of Alex and Thea getting together.

"Well," Alex shrugged, his smile broadening. "We kissed on New Years' Eve, and we've sort of been seeing each other ever since. It's nothing too serious, though."

" _What_!" Caroline swatted his arm, her eyes widening in an incredulous manner. "Alexander Ivanox, are you implying that you've been shagging Thea for _five months_ and you're only just telling us, your best friends since you were _eleven_?"

Kanon couldn't help but laugh at how Alex's cheeks turned a bright red after that. "I — Merlin, Caroline, why do you always need to put everything so _bluntly_."

"He hasn't denied it!" Kanon pointed out in a sing-song voice.

"I can't believe this," Caroline stated dramatically, her back of her hand now against her forehead in a mockingly tragic gesture. "Our child is beginning to grow up, Kanon."

"I can't believe he's the same eleven-year-old who spent his first night at Hogwarts trotting around his dormitory because he was too excited to sleep," Kanon said, a warm smile on her face. She then wrapped her arms around Alex and hugged him tightly, whispering, "I'm so happy for you, Al."

"Thanks, I guess," Alex replied, a bit coyly. There was a feeble smile on his lips, and it broadened when Caroline placed her arms around him too. "I wanted to tell you, I promise, but I didn't want to make a fuss about it. But I'm really happy."

"I bet you are," Caroline chuckled. "You've been staring at her with your big puppy eyes ever since we first got here, you dimwit."

"Have I?" Alex's eyebrows rose in a gesture of genuine surprise, which sent his two best friends into yet another fit of giggles. "Hey, come on, enough with the teasing. We'd better get to class."

"You know what?" Kanon said. "I don't really feel like going to Slughorn's class today. What if we go take a walk by the lake and enjoy the fact that it is not raining for once?"

"Who are you and what have you done to Kanon," Alex said, looking somewhat surprised, but grinned a second later nevertheless. "I think it's a brilliant idea, though."

"Merlin," Caroline said, shaking her head a little. However, a smile spread across her lips when her friends stared at her with a pleading expression, their lower lips curved into a pout and Alex batting his eyelashes in an exaggerated way. "Argh, well, fine. I came here because of you two, so we might as well end this journey by doing something reckless too."

Kanon laughed and clapped her hands happily, and Alex squeezed them both in one last hug before heading towards the lake. They had learned a lot about themselves and their teammates over the past few months, but the best thing about all the time they had spent in 1997 was, Kanon reflected, the fact that they had gotten to spend an extra year together before graduating. She didn't know what would become of them once they left Hogwarts for the last time, but she did know that the bond between the three of them — which had been exceptionally strong even before they agreed to go back in time — had strengthened to a point where nothing could have broken it, no matter how hard other people tried.

And that, she realized, made her feel invincible.

* * *

 _Aw, well, there's that. I wanted to write about the Hufflepuffs and the Slytherins' last few hours before the battle, so I'm probably going to do the same thing with the Ravenclaws and the Gryffindors in the following chapter. Then we'll head straight into the battle — so stay tuned for that! :-)_

 _P. S.: I saw the new Fantastic Beasts film yesterday and I absolutely adored it! Can't believe how happy the Harry Potter universe makes me. :-) Have you people seen it yet?_


	19. It's Always Darkest Before Dawn - Part 2

_sleeping is giving in, no matter what the time is_  
 _sleeping is giving in, so lift those heavy eyelids_  
 _every time you close your eyes, lies, lies!_  
 _people try and hide the night underneath their covers_

 **rebellion (lies) - arcade fire**

* * *

The Room of Requirement, Elodie soon discovered, really _did_ adapt itself to the user's needs every single time.

It wasn't like it had remained the same way every time they had held a meeting there, or when she had happened to stumble into it with a stack of books under her arm and the imperious need to devour them all before supper. It had sometimes resembled a small private library, and other times it had looked a lot more like a common room designed for all fourteen of them to spend a brief amount of time there, chatting and discussing the way their mission should go next. But when the seven of them first stepped into the Room of Requirement that Neville had been looking for when he decided to hide from the Carrows they found themselves in a space that looked entirely different to the Room of Requirement that they had grown accustomed to over the past few months — it now reminded Elodie of a Muggle holiday camp, mostly because of how a fair amount of bunk beds rested against the Room's longest wall, reminding her of all the holidays that she had spent with her friends at summer camp, years before she even realized she was a witch.

Only a few students had settled into the Room of Requirement when the seven of them arrived — Neville, Ginny, Seamus and a few others had decided to go into hiding, but that was about it. However, more students joined them as the days went by, both from inside and outside the castle. The Creevey brothers and Dean Thomas were the first ones to come back, and they were soon followed by Luna, who was received by what seemed to be the warmest hug that Neville could possibly offer. The seven of them had grown accustomed to spending their days working on their chores — two of them went to the Hog's Head inn on a daily basis through the passageway that had opened up inside the Room's wall a few hours after Neville and Ginny first arrived there, and the rest of them were in charge of keeping the Room clean and trying to contact the other members of the Army — and quietly huddling together and trying to distract each other in every possible way. Simon had brought a couple of books with him, so he usually read them aloud for the rest of the group, and Elodie would sometimes hum to certain Muggle songs that she wanted to share with them. Brooklyn taught them a fair amount of spells that none of them knew before, and Celine could spend hours on end talking about her family and all the places that she had been to over the course of the years. Thea told them about her life in the States, and Maggie and Jimmy never failed to make them laugh even when they were feeling absolutely down. They made an excellent team, Elodie realized as she lied in bed one night, because of how the fact that they were completely different hadn't been an issue when it came to becoming the greatest of friends with them over the past few months.

However, nothing could have brightened Elodie's perspective when she woke up on May 1st, feeling a slight sense of dread as she realized that the Battle of Hogwarts was only a few hours away. Her teammates were aware of it too, of course — but the rest of the Army was still blissfully unaware of what was going to happen next. Neville and Luna were talking in faint whispers, their legs dangling from Neville's bunk bed on top of Seamus's. Dean and the Creeveys had been sent to fetch some food from Aberforth Dumbledore, and the Patil twins were playing Wizarding Chess while Lavender Brown observed every single one of their movements carefully. Ginny was still asleep, a faint smile on her dozing face — Elodie couldn't help but wonder if she was dreaming of Harry Potter, or her family, or all the friends that she had lost in the past few months.

She rubbed her eye and yawned quietly as she pressed her bare feet against the cold marble floor of the Room. Brooklyn was still asleep — she had been sharing a dormitory with her best friend for the past six years, so she could perfectly tell whether she was sleeping simply by listening to the rhythm of her breathing — and she couldn't help but smile when she saw that Simon and Maggie were still huddled together under the boy's quilt, just like they were when she had gone to bed the previous night. The girl was technically supposed to sleep on the bunk bed on top of his, but they had found it increasingly difficult to sleep without each other. Elodie didn't blame them, and neither did any of their friends — she felt a twinge of happiness in her gut whenever she woke up and found her best friend fast asleep, a serene smile on his face and his chin resting atop of Maggie's brown curls, their legs tangled in the most impossible of ways.

"Good morning," Thea whispered as she descended from her bunk bed. Celine, who had taken the bunk bed underneath hers, had been reading a book that Simon had lent her for well over an hour before any of her teammates woke up. "I can't believe all four of them are still asleep."

"Well, I can," Elodie laughed in a quiet tone. "They could sleep all day if they wanted to."

"Well, at least they're getting some rest," Celine shrugged. "I've hardly been able to sleep at all, honestly."

Thea's eyebrows rose. "How come?"

"I don't know." Celine pressed her lips together, because she _did_ know what was keeping her from being able to sleep more than three hours in a row ever since they settled into the Room of Requirement. She averted her eyes and added, in a tone that was everything but convincing, "I've been reading Simon's book. It's really good."

"Yeah, I read it a few years ago," Elodie nodded, smiling a little. _A Tale of Two Cities_ , by Charles Dickens. Her mother had read it to her when she was little, and she could still remember the fuzzy feeling that rumbled in her gut whenever she dove back into the story. "I'm glad you're enjoying it."

"Who's enjoying what?" Elodie glanced at the top bunk to find Brooklyn smiling feebly at her. The girl slowly made her way to the ground, her expression still sleepy and somewhat worried — she must have been thinking about the battle too, Elodie thought — but warm nevertheless as she took a seat between Thea and Elodie on the latter's bed. "Good morning, you three."

"Morning," Thea said in a bright tone. It almost felt as though they weren't about to plunge themselves into the most vicious battle of the Second Wizarding World, Elodie thought for a second, with Thea braiding Brooklyn's hair with a faint smile on her face and Celine going on about _A Tale of Two Cities_ in a certainly enthusiastic tone. It was a perfectly quiet morning, and she couldn't quite wrap her head around the idea that it would soon be disrupted in the most violent of ways. When her best friend nudged her lightly, she couldn't help but smile, albeit a little sadly.

"You're thinking about it, too." It wasn't a question, but a statement. She knew that Brooklyn had learned to read her like a book over the past six years, but it still startled her to see how extremely good she was at it. She then confessed in a quieter tone, "I couldn't sleep last night. When I closed my eyes I just . . . I just couldn't think of anything else. I thought of how I might lose you or Simon, or any other member of our team, or some student that we only just got acquainted with and looked like a nice person but will die unexpectedly tonight." Brooklyn sucked in a breath, her face scrunched up in an attempt not to get too emotional about what she was saying. "I just wish we could stay away from it, but we can't. It wouldn't feel right to let them fight on their own, after having known a few of them for nearly a year." She tilted her head towards Neville and Luna, and then averted her eyes.

"Hey," Elodie said, her tone quivering when she realized how absolutely right her friend was. "It's going to be fine. We've already discussed this — we'll help them, and then we'll go home. All right? All fourteen of us will stay safe and help in any way we can."

"But how can we know for sure?" Brooklyn pressed on. "It's not like we know who's going to live and who's going to die."

"We do, to a certain degree," Thea chimed in softly. "I mean, we do know that some of them made it. We know that some members of the Order and Dumbledore's Army died in the battle."

"And wouldn't it be better for everyone if we tried to avoid those deaths, instead of merely fighting You-Know-Who's army like everyone else?"

"Time isn't something to meddle with," Celine said gravely from her bunk bed, making sure that nobody else would hear her. "We can't just _save_ those who are meant to die tonight, because that would disrupt the very roots of time and space. We don't know what would have happened if they had lived, and I honestly think that we should leave it that way."

Brooklyn bit her lip, but ultimately nodded. Celine was right, of course — but she still ached to know what might happen in the future if they decided to try and save Lavender Brown, or Colin Creevey, or Ron Weasley's older brother. Wouldn't their survival change things for the better, after all? One less mourning family, one less grave to dig during the aftermath of the battle.

One less weight to carry on their shoulders once they got back, she thought bitterly.

* * *

"Hey, Marston."

Jimmy did a half-smile when he looked up and found Maggie offering him a small crumpet. "Jolly, what have I done to deserve this," he joked before taking it. "Thanks, Mags."

"No problem." The girl took a seat next to him and leaned on his shoulder, like she always did when they hung out together in the Gryffindor common room — except that they were now in the Room of Requirement, only a few hours before Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger arrived at the castle.

"You all right, Maggie?" Jimmy asked, placing an arm around her shoulder before taking a bite from the crumpet. He eyed Simon casually — the boy was sitting with his two best friends, playing Exploding Snap with an amused smile on his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine," the girl mused. "I'm just — a little concerned, you know."

"I know." Jimmy did a small smile and squeezed her shoulders gently. "We'll be fine, I promise. Everything will be fine."

Maggie pressed her lips together and averted her eyes. "It's just that I don't want to lose you, or Simon, or any of our teammates. You all mean a lot to me — especially you two, obviously."

Jimmy knew that it wasn't the right time, but he still felt a twinge of happiness in his stomach when he heard that. It's not like she was jealous of Simon, but drifting apart from Maggie had become one of his worst fears ever since the two of them got together, so it was extremely reassuring to him that the girl kept trying to prove him otherwise. "I know. You're like . . . well, _mon petit frère_."

Maggie had to stifle a laugh. " _Ta petite soeur_ , Jimmy. Remember how nearly every single French word has a gender?" She ruffled her best friend's hair amiably, and then smiled a little. "But yes, you're like a _frère_ to me too. But you know that already, right?"

"I do," the boy said with a grin, and then hugged her even tighter. "We'll be fine, I promise."

"All right," the girl said, an amused expression now setting on her face. She poked Jimmy's stomach several times before adding, "Hey, I've been meaning to ask you something. What's the deal with you and Calvin?"

Jimmy felt how his cheeks turned a bright red upon hearing his best friend's question. He had had more than enough time to analyze how he felt about Calvin ever since they had settled into the Room of Requirement, but he still hadn't revealed his conclusions to anyone. The truth was that he spent nearly every single minute of his everyday life thinking about him, worrying about his safety, hoping that they'd get to talk for a bit once everything was over. He found himself longing for long conversations with him, strolling down the school's fields, and even hopefully getting to thread his fingers into that dark brown hair of his and press his lips against Calvin's when the right time came.

"Jimmy?"

The boy shook his head, visibly embarrassed by how he had let his mind wander to an imaginary scenario like that. "Well, I — I don't know, Mags, it's really strange. I've never felt this way about anyone before."

"Not even Timothée?"

"Fuck's sake, stop asking about Timothée," he said, almost in a joking way. However, he then took a deep breath and shook his head. "No, not even Timothée. I — I really do like him, Maggie. I like him _a lot_. I don't know why, but deep down I feel like I've always known that I had feelings for him. Even when I claimed to hate him, even when I yelled at him in front of the rest of the group. I found him really attractive, but also _very_ daunting. But he isn't anymore, for some reason, and now I can't stop thinking about him and I'm not even sure if he even _likes_ me."

"Merlin, you really are a little thick sometimes," Maggie chuckled. When her friend frowned at her, she added with a small smile playing on her lips, "He likes you _a lot_ , Jimmy. I didn't notice it at first, either — Simon had to tell me, and Merlin knows he is an exceptionally talented wizard, but he's a little dense when it comes to dealing with human emotions — but I've been watching you two ever since and it's obvious that he likes you too."

"Do you really think so?" Jimmy asked quietly. A smile was beginning to grow on his lips even though he was trying his best at keeping a straight face. "But I — Merlin, I wouldn't even know what to do. I don't _do_ dating, Maggie, you know that."

The girl shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't do dating before I fell for Simon, either." A sheepish smile appeared on her lips. "It'll come naturally, I promise. I feel like he'll make you happy, so — when it's all over, go get him."

"All right," Jimmy's tone was now both excited and firm at the same time. After allowing himself to think about how his next meeting with Calvin could go, he nudged Maggie and asked, "Speaking of Simon . . . how's it going with you two? Do I need to give him, you know, _the talk_?"

Maggie felt how her cheeks reddened. "Merlin, Jimmy, no. We're — he makes me really happy. He's so smart, and sweet, and attractive . . . " A goofy smile lingered on her lips for a second. "I just feel so _well_ whenever he's around, you know. Like I can become whoever I want to, because he's so accepting of me and my flaws that he won't mind me changing my mind about a million things in my life as long as it makes me happy. I don't feel like he's going to judge me for having male friends, or because of how I don't really know what I want to do after school just yet."

"I'm sure he feels the same way about you," Jimmy said, a half-smile on his face. He then pressed a soft kiss to Maggie's head. "Seems like we're both doing fairly well in the love department in spite of everything, doesn't it?" When Maggie nodded, he couldn't help but smile a little. They were known to be two relentless optimists, but he had held his own doubts about what was to come, even if he hadn't shared them with anyone. He was almost certain that Maggie felt the same way about the whole situation — but they would get through it together, just like they had over the past six years.

Looking back at that afternoon, Jimmy would always think of the way his heart seemed to beat a little faster in anticipation of what was to come, both fearful and excited at the same time.

* * *

 _Ta daaah. So that's that — the Battle's up next! I really cannot believe we've gotten this far. And I can't wait for you people to find out what's coming, hehe. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I thought it'd be interesting to explore the gang's feelings/doubts before the fighting begins, but please let me know what you think!_


	20. So It Goes

_all the other kids with the pumped up kicks_  
 _you'd better run, better run, out run my gun_  
 _all the other kids with the pumped up kicks_  
 _you'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet_

 **pumped up kicks - foster the people**

* * *

Thea never thought that she would still feel surprised when Harry Potter and his two best friends were brought into the Room of Requirement by a bright-looking Neville, but the truth was that she felt a twinge of excitement in her stomach when she recognized the seventeen-year-old bespectacled boy that stood in front of them, mud on his cheeks and a lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead.

"Whoa," Brooklyn mused next to her.

"My sentiments exactly," whispered Celine, feeling visibly in awe by the Boy Who Lived's presence. "He _is_ sort of cute, isn't he?"

"Bad timing, Celine," Elodie said, shaking her head. She was too caught up in observing the scene that was playing out in front of her, and she didn't so much as blink as Ginny ran up to the three of them and enveloped them in a warm hug, the tough attitude that had taken ahold of her ever since they decided to go into hiding in the Room of Requirement cracking for a second at the sight of her brother, one of her best friends, and the boy that she was in love with. Neville and Luna smiled proudly behind her, and the rest of their schoolmates greeted them with warm smiles and pats to their backs. The seven of them had decided to stay back and let them enjoy the reunion for a few minutes, feeling like they deserved a little intimacy — albeit how minimal it was in a room full of people — before the fighting began.

"Hey! Is everything all right?" Neville asked them a few minutes later, when the rest of the Army had calmed down a little and Harry had taken a seat with Luna, who was telling him all about Rowena Ravenclaw's lost diadem, which they suspected to be the last Horcrux. "I wanted to introduce you all to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but I couldn't find you anywhere."

"Oh, that's all right," Simon said, shrugging in a humble manner. "Just — just let us know what we're to do once the plan gets going, all right?"

"Yeah," Jimmy added, a little reluctantly. They all knew that he was _dying_ to meet Harry Potter, but they didn't want to compromise their entire mission — Harry was, after all, a very powerful wizard, and they feared that he might be able to see past their inhibiting potion somehow.

Neville's eyebrows rose. "Well . . . all right then, I suppose. Harry and Luna need to go find something in the Ravenclaw common room, apparently, and I've just been told that Fred and George Weasley are on their way with a number of members of the Order of the Phoenix, so I suppose we're going to need to help them get here from the Hog's Head Inn and then . . . well, wait and see what happens next." There was an uneasy tone in his voice, Thea noted. How could he not feel at least slightly worried about the fact that a battle was about to break out in the middle of their school? She herself wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't known about it beforehand.

"All right, Neville," she found herself placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, a gentle smile on her face. "Thank you. We'll stay here and help everyone get ready in case we need to go out."

Neville did a small smile. "Thanks, Thea." He eyed them all one last time before going back to discuss the plan once again with Harry and Hermione, who were pointing at various locations on the Marauder's Map as they spoke. The seven of them then exchanged worried glances, unsure of what to do — they did know that a battle was about to take place in the most inevitable of ways, but they didn't quite know how to warn their friends without giving themselves away.

"What if we tell them that one of us is a Seer?" Jimmy suggested. "We could get a little dramatic and one of us could go like, ' _Merlin, I just had the most disturbing vision!_ ' and well, they might buy it if we look convincing enough."

"That's just about the stupidest thing I've heard all day," deadpanned Celine, rolling her eyes ever so lightly. When Jimmy frowned at her, she just shrugged. "What? I'm just being honest. This is dead serious, Jimmy. People are going to _die_."

"I'm sure we're all aware of that at this point, Celine," Thea said gently, slowly pulling the two of them away from each other. She knew that they both liked or at least appreciated each other deep down, but they were just . . . well, too different to work together without constantly wanting to bite the other's head off. "Let's just try and stay calm until they find out by themselves, all right? We'll try to anticipate the Death Eaters' movements as often as we can, but that's just about everything we can do."

Jimmy huffed a little. "I still think it isn't a bad idea to pretend to have some sort of vision. We could even bribe Professor Trelawney into enacting it or something like that."

"Merlin, Jimmy, stop it," Elodie said. In spite of the tense feeling that enveloped them, the girl had to stifle a laugh when she heard what her friend was suggesting. "I think Thea's right. We should just stay put until we're told otherwise. Remember, you might even get to meet the Weasley twins."

"Oh, _yes_ ," Jimmy said, a smile spreading across his face. The Weasley twins were two big heroes of him, and the idea of getting to meet Fred Weasley, who died well before he was born, thrilled him to no end. "All right, we'll stay put then."

"How can you act so thrilled when we're about to get involved in our world's most important battle since . . . I don't know, since Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald?" Brooklyn asked. When Jimmy did nothing but shrug, she just sighed and patted her friend's back. "You really _are_ something, aren't you James Marston."

Jimmy scoffed a little, and for a few minutes all was well. They weren't exactly at ease because they still felt rather intimidated by what was to come, but they somehow managed to fall into a comfortable silence until Neville came back, his expression more nervous than it had been before and his hand now gripping his wand firmly.

"Harry and Luna are leaving now," he announced somberly. "I don't know what's going to happen next, but they've told me to keep the rest of the Army here until the Order arrives. Once they're here, we're to go outside and find the members of the school staff that might be willing to help us, which means that we should probably steer clear of Snape and the Carrows."

Maggie nodded. "Yeah, that's a good plan. So what do we do now?"

Neville shrugged, an anxious gleam in his eyes. "I don't know. Now we wait, I guess."

"Now we wait." Brooklyn felt an itch in her throat, but nodded. "All right, Neville. That's what we'll do."

There was nothing else they could do at that point, Thea thought miserably.

* * *

A strange sense of surprise surrounded the Hufflepuff common room when Professor Sprout woke them all up in the middle of the night, claiming that Professor McGonagall had appointed an extraordinary assembly at the Great Hall. Most of the students had already changed to their pyjamas or were quietly chatting with their friends by the fire, but Caroline, Kanon and Alex had been waiting for their Head Teacher's call since the day began — after coming back from their brief trip to the lake, the three of them had decided to take a seat in the common room, claiming to be working on their upcoming N.E.W.T.s, and had spent the last few hours patiently waiting for their Head teacher to come fetch them.

"An assembly at eleven in the night? Who _does_ that?" A Third Year groaned as she rubbed her eye, her tie hanging loose from her neck and her cloak nowhere to be seen. Most of the students were only half-dressed, and some of them still wore bits of their pyjamas tucked underneath their uniforms — which, in spite of how tense she was feeling, amused Carol to no end.

"Apparently McGonagall does," replied one of her roommates, her eyelids half-closed and her feet still resting comfortably inside her bunny slippers.

"Come on, it'll be over in a minute," Caroline said sympathetically, ushering the two girls outside of the common room. She couldn't help but worry about all the students who were still children and would soon witness how their beloved school crumbled into pieces — she knew that they wouldn't be around during the battle because Madam Pomfrey and Filch would evacuate them to the Hog's Head Inn, but her lips twitched in a sad gesture when she imagined how they would feel when they came back to the school, its gardens plagued with dead corpses and its magnificent towers half-ruined. Some of them might even have older siblings who would later perish in the battle, and she couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat when she realized that even though she knew exactly what was coming, there was nothing she could do about it. She couldn't warn Fred Weasley about how a Death Eater would murder him while his twin brother was busy fighting a werewolf off Lavender Brown's dead corpse, and she couldn't keep Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks safe in order to spare their son the trauma of growing up without them. She wanted to save them, but for the first time in her life she realized that there was nothing that she could do to spare all those families from their pain and grief, and it broke her to pieces to think of how she would have to live with the guilt of not having saved a life, no matter how dangerous it might have been to do so.

She felt Alex's gentle hand on her shoulder, and for a second she had to fight back the tears that were just about to roll down her cheeks. "Carol. Carol, you really need to calm down."

"I'm calm enough," her voice only half-croaked. However, she rubbed her cheeks hastily and shook her head a little. "I promise, I'm all right."

"No, you're not," Alex said softly. Caroline trembled a little, and her friend placed an arm around her shoulders. "I know this is messed up, Carol, I promise. I know we shouldn't have stayed, but there's nothing else we can do now. We have to stay strong and fight."

"It's not even about us anymore," she whispered in return. "I — I can't believe we're going to be physically unable to do anything about all those deaths, even though we've always known that they would happen."

"We can't play God, Carol," Kanon's voice said to her left, and the girl squeezed her best friend's hand before adding, "We don't get to decide who lives and who dies. It's just the way things were, and we can't do anything about it."

"But we can," Caroline insisted faintly. "We could warn them. We could help them. Merlin's sake, we could even stupefy their murderers before they get to them. It's just that easy."

"Except that it isn't," Alex whispered, shaking his head. "We can't, Carol."

The girl bit her lip, but ultimately nodded. "I know. It's just that it hurts to think that we're going to have to live knowing that we could've done something about all those deaths and we didn't."

"Oh, but we will," Kanon said gently. "We're going to save tons of other lives, and we've prevented an entire group of Death Eaters from attacking our Professors and schoolmates before the actual battle begins. We've done _so_ much, Carol. You've done so much for us, and for the rest of the Wizarding World. I know it's hard for you to see it right now, but I promise you'll feel at peace with yourself eventually."

Caroline nodded quietly as the three of them took their places among the rest of the Hufflepuffs. She quietly squeezed Kanon's hand with her left, and Alex's with her right.

"All right," she whispered, her expression firmer and her eyes set on the woman who was to become the school's new Headmistress in a few hours — although nobody other than the fourteen time-travelers knew it yet. "I'm ready. I'm sorry I overreacted."

"Don't be," Kanon said, squeezing her hand gently. "You hardly overreacted, given the circumstances."

"Well, I — "

Caroline was cut off by the general murmuring that spread across the students when a tall man that they had never seen before entered the Great Hall, hastily followed by a few adults that she quickly recognized as members of the former Order of the Phoenix and whispered something to McGonagall, who nodded and then announced that Voldemort and his troops were on his way, and that the students who were old enough to fight could stay in the castle, but that those who were underage were to be evacuated to the Hog's Head Inn by Madam Pomfrey and Filch immediately. A few students squirmed in disagreement, but most of the younger ones quickly made their way to the line that was already being arranged by the school's nurse and its caretaker, with some more scared Seventh Years joining them too. Caroline couldn't blame them — they were in their own right not to want to stay and fight, after all, but it still surprised her that so many Hufflepuffs were willing to leave.

She was quietly mulling this over when a sharp, painstakingly high sound echoed through the entire school — Kanon fell to her knees next to her, her hands pressed tightly against her ears, and Alex yelped in pain as an unknown voice echoed through the Great Hall. It was Voldemort's voice, Caroline quickly realized as a chill ran down her spine. He had somehow magically amplified it and was now addressing the entire school and even a good part of Hogsmeade. There was a malice in his voice that Caroline had never seen in anyone else before — as he coldly informed the school of how nobody would be hurt if they surrendered Harry to him by midnight, she couldn't help but wonder why would someone ever choose to be on the side of someone that cruel and morally deflected.

After Voldemort's voice died out, the entire Great Hall remained silent for a few seconds. Then a voice broke out — it was Pansy Parkinson, who was now pointing at Harry Potter and shrieking for someone to get him. In a matter of seconds, the entirety of the Gryffindor House rose to their feet and drew out their wands, swiftly followed by a fair amount of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. Alex was the first of the three of them to stand up, but Caroline found herself quickly following him — however, Pansy was now being held by her arm by Professor Slughorn, with Professor McGonagall harshly announcing that all of Slytherin House was to be sent back to the dungeons regardless of their will to stay or to be evacuated because of how they would pose a 'potential risk' for the entire school if they decided to riot against the current plan to help Harry Potter defeat Lord Voldemort.

After that, the Slytherins were quickly ushered out of the Great Hall by their Head teacher before they could manifest their disagreement with McGonagall's plan. Caroline felt a twinge of sadness in her stomach when she saw how Lena waved miserably at them, signaling something along the lines of ' _we'll try to come back_ ' as they followed Slughorn back to the dungeons. Calvin's expression was extremely grim, and Bobby even turned around and tried to join a group of Ravenclaws who were intending to join the fight, but was only met with hostility and haughty looks from his own classmates. She knew that the Slytherins tended to lean more towards Voldemort's side back then, but she couldn't help but think of how unfair it was to judge an entire House because of it. She waved sadly at Bobby before the boy disappeared through the door, and it broke her heart to see that, in spite of everything, he smiled back at her right before Filch closed the doors behind them.

She had been so caught up in the chaotic scene that was playing out in front of them that she had forgotten to listen to McGonagall's words on how the remaining students should be very much aware of the risk that they were taking by staying. In spite of it, she noted, she felt extremely proud of all of them for their willingness to protect the school. The Professor was now dividing them into smaller groups — Neville was to lead the one in charge of destroying the school's bridge, whereas those who were more skilled at performing protective charms were to follow her and Professor Flitwick outside to perform a number of spells on the school grounds, in order to temporarily protect themselves from Voldemort's attack. A few orders were to patrol the corridors in case any underage students had stayed behind, and a smaller group would be in charge of Hagrid's Hut and the Forbidden Forest. Caroline caught brief glances of the rest of her teammates, who had only just arrived with the other members of Dumbledore's Army — Simon, Brooklyn and Celine were to join McGonagall's group, whereas Maggie and Jimmy were going with Neville to the bridge. Thea and Elodie had agreed to search all three common rooms in case someone was still there, and Caroline and Kanon quickly found themselves joining their group.

"Carol!" Thea immediately enveloped in a warm hug. It had been over two weeks ever since they last saw each other, and Caroline found herself realizing how much she had missed the rest of her teammates. "Are you all right? Where's Alex?"

"He's with Maggie and Jimmy, I think," she said reassuringly. "They'll be fine as long as they're with Neville, don't worry." But of course, worrying was inevitable in a situation like the one they'd landed themselves into. Thea nodded and then proceeded to envelop Kanon in an equally warm hug, and Caroline found herself high-fiving Elodie with a faint smile on her face. "Glad to have you back, kiddo."

"Me too," the girl said. However brief their reunion was, it still felt great to know that all seven of them were alive and well. "Let's go, shall we?"

"Yeah, we'd better hurry."

And with that, the four girls set foot to the first common room that they were to supervise, leaving behind the Great Hall and the impending battle that was to take place.

* * *

 _Ooooh. And so it begins. I can't believe this is actually happening! I hope everything's all right so far — I wanted to be as accurate as possible while describing the events that led to the battle, so I've been re-reading DH over the past few days to make sure I didn't get anything wrong. So yeah, I hope it's all right and that you've enjoyed this chapter! Hopefully I'll be able to post the next one soon — I'm dying_ _to write it, tbh. Until then, please let me know what you think of this one via review!_


	21. This Is War

_are you happy now that the gods are dying?  
_ _or do you dream of heston with omniscient beard?  
_ _you should be happier now with no one to pray to.  
_ _or would you love to break your knees from begging and praying?_

 **bite hard - franz ferdinand**

* * *

It was already midnight, but Simon couldn't help but think of how the castle had never held more activity within its walls.

He hadn't seen the rest of the group for quite a while now, but the fact that Brooklyn and Celine were alive and well, working on their protective spells right next to him, made him feel a little worse about the whole situation. They knew that this was only a temporary way of holding the Death Eaters back, though — they would eventually break through every single one of their flawlessly cast spells and would enter the castle in mass, and they would have to face them in one-to-one duels that would most definitely test their magical skills like nothing else had in the past. He knew that Professor Sprout and Neville wanted to try to use dangerous plants from the greenhouses against Voldemort's army and that a few giants were willing to help in the defense of the castle, but it would all ultimately amount to nothing, as Simon duly noted to himself more than once over the next hour or so. He knew that his friends were either helping Neville at the Wooden Bridge or patrolling the school, and the only thing that he could do was to silently hope that they were all OK.

However, he couldn't help but shiver a little when he heard a loud explosion coming from the Wooden Bridge.

"Si, we'd better go back inside," Brooklyn said. His friend had tied her hair up in a bun just like Ginny had taught her, and there was an expression on her face that Simon had never seen before. There was still a gentle gleam in her eyes, but she mostly looked fiercely determined and surprisingly grown-up. He could hardly believe she was the same girl who had snuck into Elodie's bed for most of their First Year, too afraid to sleep on her own. "Neville and the others must already be on their way back."

Simon nodded hastily — because the fact that Neville was on his way back probably meant that Maggie would be with him, too. He pocketed his wand and then followed Brooklyn and Celine inside, a serious expression on his face that didn't quite fade until he saw a bundle of curly brown hair pulled into a ponytail that he quickly identified as Maggie's.

"Simon!" The girl had never flung into his arms so quickly, and within a few seconds she had wrapped her arms around his waist so tightly that every single inch of his body was pressed against hers. He couldn't care less, though — he enveloped her in a warm hug and let her mumble out a few words, her voice quivering and her hands trembling. "I — it's horrible, the Snatchers are here. Neville nearly fell off the Wooden Bridge and Jimmy had to run away because a Snatcher tried to kill him and I can't find him anywhere and I — " she had to choke back a sob and buried her face in the crook of Simon's neck.

He felt a lump in his throat as his girlfriend spoke, and rubbed her back soothingly as she did so. "Shh, Mags, it's all right. He'll come back, I promise." He pressed a kiss to Maggie's head, wondering if Jimmy _would_ come back after all.

After a few quieter sobs, Maggie looked up at him and said, in a quiet tone, "We need to get ready. The Death Eaters are still struggling with the suits of armour that McGonagall enchanted earlier, but they'll be here soon. Neville and the others are on their way to tell McGonagall and the Order about it, but Cho Chang told us that they might even be able to Apparate into the castle once the spells are broken."

"What? Nobody can do that," Simon pursed his lips. He looked up and saw that Brooklyn was jogging up to them, her wand in her hand and her forehead drenched in sweat. "Brooke! What's wrong?"

Maggie turned around when Simon called out their friend's name, and the girl placed a hand on each of their arms when she got to them. "We — Merlin, we need your help. Apparently Harry's gone off to find some Horcrux that's still missing, and Hermione and Ron are nowhere to be seen, and we just found out that some Death Eaters have Apparated at the catwalk where the members of the Order were until a second ago, and there's already been a couple of casualties over there. A handful of them are also making their way into the school grounds through the Forbidden Forest, and — oh, Merlin, they're on their way here."

Maggie and Simon exchanged a glance, but quickly nodded at Brooklyn's words. "Yes, let's go," he said quietly, and took Maggie's hand before setting foot to the Great Hall. When they got there, Simon grimly came to the realization that most of his classmates and professors were already in fighting positions — Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan were nervously going through a number of defensive spells that they had learnt over their Fifth Year, and Cho Chang was standing very still, her grip around her wand painstakingly strong. Nobody said a word, but they all knew what was coming. Neville whispered to them something about how Peeves was dropping Snargaluff pods on the Death Eaters to hold them back, the ghost of an amused smile on his lips, but none of them dared say a word in return. They just waited, their wands in their hands and sweat dripping down their temples, for the Death Eaters to arrive.

Until they did, and Simon lost himself in a blur of jinxes and spells and he lost track of Maggie's position, feeling a twinge in his gut as he cast his first Body-Binding Spell on a Death Eater that had aimed an Unforgivable Curse at him. He knew that he needed to focus on making it through the fighting, but a part of his brain couldn't quite stop worrying about his girlfriend and his two best friends, who were now inevitably lost in the heat of the battle. Neville was nowhere to be seen, either, and for a second Simon felt immensely alone — that is, until he had to cast yet another spell on another Death Eater who threatened to kill him. Within minutes, he was too caught up in fighting them out of his way that he forgot about everything else, using every single spell that he had learned over the past six years. He wasn't as witty as Jimmy or Maggie when it came to dueling, but he soon found out that he was pretty decent at avoiding getting himself killed — which, he gathered, was more than enough. There were Death Eaters everywhere, but also spiders, centaurs and even giants, and Simon couldn't help but think that it was just about the most grotesque scene that he had ever witnessed. As he fought off yet another Death Eater by using a Freezing Spell that Brooklyn had taught him earlier that year, he couldn't help but wonder if all fourteen of them would be able to make it out alive. He had always been positive about it, but the first doubts began to grow inside his chest as he grimly observed the first dead corpses that had fallen to the ground, silently hoping that Maggie, Brooklyn or Celine weren't among them.

They weren't, but they might be if he didn't keep fighting. And that was precisely why he aimed yet another spell at a Death Eater who was making his way through the Great Hall — and for the first time he didn't feel anything when his opponent fell to his feet, making gurgling noises and clutching his throat.

* * *

Jimmy felt a sore pang on his temple when he stood up. He had barely made it out of the skirmish at the Wooden Bridge alive, and he was now trudging his way through the corridor, running away from a group of Death Eaters who started chasing him around after the seventeen-year-old _Reducto_ -ed a member of their party. He had no idea where Maggie was, and for a second he let his mind mull around the possibility that she had been caught by a group of Death Eaters. A shiver ran down his spine — no, she was fine, he knew she was. She _had_ to be.

He hid behind a pillar when he heard the voice of a Death Eater echoing only a few feet away from him. "Find that bloody boy! _Find_ him!" He gulped and clutched his wand tightly, and when one of the Death Eaters walked past him he was quick enough to stupefy and send him flying down the corridor before he even spotted him. The other two Death Eaters who were following him — a woman in her late twenties and a man in his early forties — pointed their wands at him, but he was quick enough to petrify the man with an exceptionally well-executed _Petrificus Totalus_ and then dodged the _Avada Kedavra_ that the woman had aimed at him. He jolted down the staircase as fast as he could, the female Death Eater following him closely — he tried a few spells, but she seemed to be exceptionally good at blocking or avoiding them all.

By the time he got to the main staircase, he found himself tripping over a mountain of rubble that had fallen from from the ceiling, and rolled downstairs hitting his head hard against the cobbled floor of the school's main entrance. He felt dizzy for a few seconds, holding his palm against his temple, and held back a yelp of pain when he tried to stand up again. The Death Eater was only a few feet away from him, and for a second he thought that he could already see a green streak of light emerging from the tip of her wand when he heard how a firm, clear voice yelled,

" _Sectumsempra_!"

Jimmy flinched, but soon discovered that the spell hadn't been aimed towards him. He cracked an eye open to find the Death Eater lying on the ground, her body covered in gashes that were now bleeding heavily as she struggled to get back to her feet, her entire body convulsing. He had to avert his eyes when the woman began to spit out her own blood, but he found himself looking up again in an attempt to find the person who had cast the spell on her. A moment later his eyes met Calvin's, and he could have sworn his heart stopped for a second when the Slytherin smiled at him. He was now wearing a Ravenclaw uniform, his jumper ragged and his tie loose around his neck — which didn't look like Calvin at all, but Jimmy didn't have time to think about that. He just launched himself towards him, and a second later he was holding the boy that he had once regarded as his biggest enemy in his arms.

"Fuck's sake, Cal," he breathed, forgetting for a moment the dizziness, the pain on his temple and the way his cheeks and forehead were now smeared with traces of blood. "What are you _doing_ here?"

Calvin, although a little started at first, hugged him back within a matter of seconds. "We came back, the four of us. We jinxed our uniforms to make us pass as Ravenclaws. Lena and Catherine are fighting the giants, and Bobby and Niko went to the Great Hall to help. I — I was looking for you, because Maggie told me she lost you on her way back from the Wooden Bridge."

"I thought you didn't think this was our battle to fight," Jimmy said meekly, now looking at him in the eye.

Calvin shrugged, his lips twitching in a shy gesture. "I changed my mind, I suppose."

A small smile played on Jimmy's lips for a second, and before he could hold himself back he mumbled, "Fuck it, I'm not going to die without doing this." And, without allowing Calvin so much as a second to ask what was going on, he placed his hands on the boy's cheeks and pressed his lips against his, smiling against them when Calvin slowly melted into a kiss that lasted more than it should have, given the circumstances that surrounded them.

"Fuck," Calvin breathed against his lips, which brought a grin to Jimmy's face. The Slytherin ran his hands through Jimmy's blond curls, and did a half-smile. "How come you're always so _battered_ when I can barely hold myself back from kissing you?"

Jimmy felt how his heart skipped a beat. "Sod off," he said, a small chuckle escaping his lips before they captured Calvin's again. That was all they did for the next few minutes — kiss, touch, marvel at the fact that they had somehow managed to wind up together in the heat of the battle. Jimmy even allowed himself to forget that they were in a battlefield, in 1998, in a world called Earth even, and avoided thinking of anything besides Calvin's big brown eyes and his devilishly soft lips until a voice called them from the bottom of the staircase.

" _Jimmy_!"

His eyebrows rose, and he slowly pulled away from Calvin, whose cheeks had now turned a bright red — which was again the most unlike Calvin thing to do. He glanced over his shoulder, but grinned at the sight of two very amused-looking Maggie and Simon.

"I — sorry, I got carried away by — well."

"I can see that much," Maggie's eyebrows rose, and even though there was a small smile on her lips, she tilted her head towards the corridor that led to the Great Hall. "We need help. _Now_. I hate cutting you two off, but please refrain from snogging until, well, until the fighting's over."

"Yeah. I think we'll be able to manage that," Calvin said softly, flashing one last smile towards Jimmy before trotting downstairs, closely followed by the Gryffindor. "Is anyone hurt?"

"Well, they just told us that Fred Weasley got killed earlier," Simon grimaced. "But we've no idea what's happening, to be honest. It's just — it's just a big fat mess, and Harry and his friends are nowhere to be seen."

"We need to go back and help," Maggie insisted. "Come on, let's go."

The three boys nodded and quietly followed her back to the Great Hall, Jimmy and Calvin walking next to each other and trying very hard not to glance at each other every few seconds. Jimmy gave the other boy's hand a gentle squeeze as though trying to tell him that they would talk after the battle was over, and Calvin nodded in approval before they got to the Great Hall. They hardly had enough time to pull their wands out before a Death Eater lurched himself towards them, his face contorted in the vilest of expressions. Jimmy was quick enough to fight him off before he could harm them, but he was soon followed by another group of Death Eaters, all four of them engaging in one-to-one duels in a matter of seconds. It wasn't too hard to fight them off, but Jimmy found himself wincing in pain several times from the wounds that he had already been inflicted, and fell to his knees right after he managed to turn the Death Eater that he was fighting into a pile of ashes by _Reducto_ -ing him. The other three soon managed to either make their Death Eaters disappear or to fight them off with hasty stupefying spells, and when all four of them appeared to be safe and sound once again Maggie kneeled beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Jimmy, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"I — my leg," he mumbled, his tone quivering from the pain he was currently going through. When Maggie pressed her hand against his swollen arm, he couldn't help but flinch in pain. "Please stop."

"All right, all right, sorry," she whispered hurriedly. Calvin had now kneeled to his other side, and Simon was inspecting the cuts on his face with a worried expression. "Let's get you to a safer place. You're obviously too worn out to fight now."

"No, listen, I can — "

"Jim," Calvin said, a serious tone drenching his words. "Maggie's right. We need to take you somewhere safe, and then we'll — "

The Slytherin was cut off by a shrill sound, not unlike the one that had echoed through the entire castle only a couple of hours earlier. Jimmy flinched, and quickly recognized Voldemort's sickeningly icy voice. He addressed the whole school, but specifically spoke to Harry this time, giving him one hour to surrender and for the rest of the castle to 'dispose of their dead with dignity and treat their injured'. Maggie gulped next to him, and Simon had to press his hands against his temples to hold back a scream. If Harry failed to comply, Voldemort's voice continued, everyone in the castle would be killed after the one-hour armistice. Then the ear-splitting sound died out once again, and the four of them were left in the darkest of silences, only sporadically interrupted by Jimmy's increasingly elaborated breathing.

"What do we do now?" Maggie mused, placing a hand on Jimmy's shoulder.

"We already know how it's going to go," Simon said quietly. "I think we should go back to the Great Hall and check on the rest on the team, and then let poor Jimmy get some rest before the fighting resumes. Because it _will_ resume, after Harry comes back." His voice had turned into a faint whisper, just in case someone was listening to their conversation.

"Yes," Jimmy said with a faint nod. "Let's go back."

He struggled to get on his feet, but ultimately managed to do so with the help of both Maggie and Calvin. They slowly made their way back to the Great Hall, where the most disheartening of scenes played out in front of him — the Weasleys were surrounding Fred Weasley's limp body, and the Patil twins were sniffling quietly as Oliver Wood covered Lavender Brown's corpse with a white sheet, a somber expression on his face. The students had huddled together in smaller groups, and Jimmy felt significantly relieved when he saw that the other ten members of his team were sitting together, holding each other and in different degrees of unrest. A big gash ran through Niko's cheek, and there were several bruises on Bobby's face; Kanon's arm seemed to be quite swollen, and Elodie branded a rather nasty cut underneath her right eye. The rest of the team looked more or less all right, but he knew that deep down all of them had been scarred by the battle, whether it be in a physical or in a psychological way.

"Jimmy!" Elodie grinned at the sight of the boy, and quickly enveloped all four of them in a warm hug. "Are you all right?"

"I'm a little knackered, but it's all right," Jimmy confessed, a more relaxed smile on his face after seeing that all fourteen of them had managed to make it through the first half of the battle. "I think I'm going to go see Madam Pomfrey now."

"D'you want me to help you?" Maggie asked, a concerned expression on her face.

"No, don't worry," Calvin said quickly. "I can help him. You two get some rest." He patted Simon's shoulder in a friendly manner, and then placed an arm around Jimmy's shoulder. As if on cue, the boy slowly began to limp his way to the table where the school's nurse had set up her improvised infirmary, leaving their teammates looking visibly confused by what had just happened. Simon and Maggie simply smiled to themselves and took a seat between Elodie and Brooklyn, Maggie's arms wrapping around Simon's neck quietly.

"I knew it," Alex mumbled finally. "I knew those two were going to end up together."

Caroline elbowed him, looking tired but also somewhat amused. "Shut up and let them be, Alexander."

Brooklyn and Elodie smiled at how Calvin helped Jimmy lie down on a stretcher and quickly explained everything to Madam Pomfrey, and Lena secretly marveled at how right she had been about those two all along as the Slytherin ran a concerned hand through Jimmy's hair, which made the Gryffindor smile. Alex and Thea shared a pumpkin juice that a very kind Ravenclaw had offered them after the armistice was first announced, and Caroline and Kanon discussed something in very faint whispers as Niko and Bobby filled each other in on all the Death Eaters that they had defeated ever since the fighting began.

And only if for a moment, there was a certain sense of peace inside all fourteen of them.

* * *

 _Ohhh dang we're halfway through the battle. But don't fret! There's still another chapter to go — then a short epilogue, of course. Ahhh I can't believe I'm almost done with this story — it's been such a fun ride, and I'm so glad that most of you stuck around and helped me all through it! But since we're not quite done with it yet — until next time, my friends!_


	22. A Secret To Keep

_and i took you by the hand and we stood tall_  
 _and remembered our own land, what we lived for  
but there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears_  
 _and love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears_  
 _get over your hill and see what you find there_  
 _with grace in your heart and flowers in your hair_

 **after the storm - mumford & sons**

* * *

Everyone in the Great Hall knew that the one-hour armistice was over as soon as Voldemort's magically amplified voice echoed through the entire school once again, announcing with a faint cackle that Harry Potter was _dead_.

Bobby grimly observed Ginny's reaction. The girl choked back a sob, her hand over her mouth, and ran to the school's entrance before her brothers could stop her. Neville, on the other hand, received the news like a blow to his stomach — he crossed his arms and closed his eyes, and after seeing so much death and cruelty it almost felt as though he was about to cry for the first time since the fighting began. But he didn't, and a moment later he was standing up and following Ginny outside. All fourteen of them found themselves flocking around the rest of the survivors, who were now quietly making their way to the school yard. The image that they found there was as grotesque as they had imagined — a weeping Hagrid was carrying Harry's corpse in his arms, Nagini draped around his shoulders and hissing quietly, while Voldemort strode in front of the procession of Death Eaters that had obediently followed him back to the school. Bobby felt a twinge of disgust in his stomach at the sight of the vilest wizard in their world — a wizard who had once been a sixteen-year-old Slytherin student just like him, Bobby thought grimly.

Voldemort's voice was even icier when it wasn't magically amplified. He announced that his troops outnumbered the defenders of the school, and that there would be no more casualties if they agreed to kneel before him, which would mean getting themselves and their families spared. He even announced that he was willing to welcome a few new faces to his ranks, as long as they were willing to help him build a New World Order. But all that he received in return was a loud scream from McGonagall when she first saw Harry Potter's corpse — a long, painful scream of denial and anger that made Bobby flinch, mainly because he had never seen the woman who would later on become their Headmistress in such a vulnerable state. He had always admired McGonagall to a certain point of revere, and it felt almost weakening to see how such a raw, weak gesture took over her face. The Death Eaters only laughed in return, and as the rest of them slowly stepped closer they realized how absolutely devastating the scene actually was. A few shouts of horror followed McGonagall's — Ginny, Ron, Hermione, even Molly Weasley, who had already lost a son during the battle and yet felt as though she had just lost another one. Bobby averted his eyes, feeling increasingly anxious because of all the pain that surrounded him, until he felt a gentle squeeze to his hand. He glanced to his side and found Elodie smiling sadly at him, mouthing something along the lines of 'don't worry, it's almost over'. Bobby nodded quietly, but still had to choke back a sob when silence was forced upon the surviving members of the Order and Dumbledore's Army by a bright flash of green light that irradiated from Voldemort's wand with a loud _bang_. Everyone remained silent, cursing and crying silently as Harry's corpse was lowered to the ground.

Until Neville decided to step forward, and was brutally sent to the ground, his wand rolling to the side and Bellatrix Lestrange cackling amusedly.

"He's the one who's been giving the Carrows so much trouble," the woman noted, an eerie smile on her face. "The son of Frank and Alice Longbottom, the Aurors that I had _such_ fun with during the last war."

"Oh, yes, I remember," there was something similar to a smile on Voldemort's face, although Bobby thought that it was impossible to convey the idea of someone — something — like him actually smiling, or having human feelings altogether. "He would make a decent Death Eater, wouldn't he?"

"I'll join you when Hell freezes over," Neville spat, his face contorting in pain. "Dumbledore's Army!"

The crowd behind him cheered in agreement, and Voldemort cackled at the boy's brave words. After casting a Body-Binding Curse on him, he addressed his Death Eaters and announced that, given the unwillingness of the defenders of the castle to surrender to his commands, the battle was to be resumed immediately — after a brief demonstration of what he intended to do with the school once it was all over, he _accio_ -ed the Sorting Hat onto Neville's head and sent it bursting into flames, and then everything became one uniform chaotic scene at once. Bobby could hear how the centaurs approached the school grounds, having abandoned their neutrality, and sent arrows flying towards several Death Eaters. A few of Voldemort's followers had already drawn their wands out and were about to chase their opponents inside when Neville stood up and miraculously broke free from the Body-Binding Curse, the Sorting Hat falling from his head, something silver and with a glittered, rubied handle poking out of it. The Sword of Godric Gryffindor, Bobby realized as his eyes widened. No-one had enough time to process what was going out, and with a single swift movement the Seventh Year Gryffindor sliced off Nagini's head. Voldemort immediately let out a scream of pain, but Bobby couldn't hear it over the noise of the fighting — he was too caught up in helping Simon get Antonin Dolohov off himself that he didn't even notice that Harry Potter was nowhere to be seen, slowly and inadvertently making their way back into the castle. Even the house elves had joined the fighting at that point, screaming and waving their carving knives at the shins of every single Death Eater that they came across with. Slughorn had gone to Hogsmeade and came back with a few relatives of the students who were still fighting and Hogsmeade shopkeepers and villagers, and Bobby noticed with a faint sense of pride that they were beginning to outnumber Voldemort's army once again. He didn't know how, or why, but they were slowly beginning to fall to the ground, their limp corpses defeated by the attacking crowd, or running away from the scene like Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy did.

The fighting was difficult and tested Bobby's duelling skills like nothing ever had before, but he found himself defeating a decent number of Death Eaters and helping his friends out of their own one-to-one duels as successfully as one could in such a situation. In a matter of minutes, their entire opponent side had fallen to the ground or left the castle, with the exception of Bellatrix Lestrange — who was killed by Molly Weasley a second later — and Voldemort himself. That was when Harry Potter pulled off his Invisibility Cloak, making his allies gasp and bringing an expression of horror to Voldemort's face, but the cheering coming from the remaining students and even some of the Professors was quickly stifled by Harry's abrupt voice, announcing that he didn't want anyone in the crowd to try to help, because it was between him and Voldemort at that point. Bobby gulped, because even though he knew how everything was bound to end he felt as though he couldn't quite believe the scene that was playing out in front of him. It was now Lena's turn to squeeze his hand, and Niko placed another hand on his shoulder as the three of them observed in awe as Harry and Voldemort circled each other like prowling lions, the Dark Lord taunting the Boy Who Lived with his silky voice and Harry replying in strong, convinced words that revealed him as someone wise beyond his age and as the exceptional wizard that he actually was. He even sucked in a breath when Harry explained how Dumbledore had orchestrated his own death and had toyed with Voldemort's trust in Snape all along, and that the Elder Wand did not belong to the person who killed its last owner, but to the person who _disarmed_ them, and that the wand therefore belonged to him. His words were closely followed by a loud _bang_ as the two of them yelled the spells that would send them into the last battle of that war, of that time, of that century.

" _Avada Kedavra_!"

" _Expelliarmus_!"

Bobby observed, wide-eyed and dazed, how the wretched Elder Wand flew from Voldemort's hand and Harry caught it before his biggest enemy crumpled to the floor, his body feeble and shrunken, killed by his own rebounding course.

There was one shivering second of silence, but then the entire Great Hall broke into cheers and delighted screams as the sun shone its first bright rays through the windows. Bobby's first instinct was to hug Niko and Lena at the same time, but then joyously turned around and saw, to his great delight, that the other eleven members of their team were also celebrating the end of the battle, just as Harry's closest friends ran up to him. Grief and celebration blended into one as a few mourned the new casualties that had resulted from the second half of the battle — Caroline couldn't stop crying for several minutes, but Bobby suspected it was more of a post-traumatic stress thing — and placed Voldemort's dead body aside, leaving the Great Hall for those who had died protecting the school and Harry's life. The Boy Who Lived was nowhere to be seen yet again, but Bobby couldn't care less right then — he simply rejoiced in the fact that all fourteen of them had made it through the battle, and that they were now ready to go home.

"I can't believe we've made it," Kanon mused, a broad smile on her face as she hugged each and every one of them tightly.

"Merlin, I really can't wait to get home and sleep for, like, a year," Celine yawned, but grinned at Bobby before high-fiving him. "We did it, mate."

"We really did, didn't we?" Bobby smiled amusedly. He had never really had any close friends aside from Niko in spite of his friendly nature, and he couldn't help but think of how lucky he was to be a part of the fourteen students that had now become like a family to him.

"Speaking of which," Elodie said cautiously. "We should get going, shouldn't we? Before we run into Neville or something."

"It's going to be weird, going back to our time," whispered Maggie thoughtfully. "I've almost gotten used to living here, after all this time. I'll miss hanging out with Neville and Luna and Ginny and . . . well, a lot of people, surprisingly enough."

"Yeah, me too," Jimmy agreed quietly. Bobby's eyebrows rose when the boy's hand slipped into Calvin's. "But I miss home too. And I miss Quidditch too much, to be honest."

"I'll drink to that," Niko said, a half-smile on his face.

"Well," Thea said, her arm draped around a still sullen-looking Caroline. "Let's go then, shouldn't we?"

It only took them a few minutes to go fetch their things from their dormitories and meet up at the door to the Room of Requirement, their uniforms still sweaty and worn out and their faces smeared with mud, blood and sweat from an entire night of fighting Voldemort's army. Jimmy was the first one to get inside, hooting in delight when he found the exact same mirror that they had used to travel there from 2018. Bobby observed how each and every one of his teammates slowly entered the room and stepped into the mirror just like they had back in 2018 — Brooklyn did it with a much more confident step than she had back then, and Elodie and Celine even high-fived each other before leaving. Niko followed them with a thrilled smile, and Caroline had to rub a hand against her eye before leaving too. Kanon, Alex and Thea quickly followed suit and, pecking Calvin's temple cheekily before leaving, Jimmy set foot behind them. Maggie left right after her best friend, and Simon was quick to follow her, after giving the Room of Requirement one last glance.

Calvin waved at Bobby and Lena with a small smile and said, "See you back in 2018." And with that, he stepped into the mirror and disappeared through its gelatinous fibres.

Lena looked at him, a sad expression on her lips. _Do you wanna go first?_ , she signaled.

 _I'm afraid you won't follow me if I do_ , he signaled back. He felt a twinge of sadness in his stomach when he saw how his friend's face fell. _I know how you feel about her, Lena, but you have to let her go_.

 _I know_ , she signaled, her lips pursed. _It's just that I'm really going to miss her_.

 _I know. But you'll meet someone else eventually_ , he replied. A sad expression had now settled on his face — it pained him to see his friend in such anguish. _We really need to go now_.

Lena nodded quietly and, after taking a deep breath, slowly made her way towards the mirror. She stared at it for a few seconds, and then quietly stepped into it. Bobby observed her actions sadly, and once he was on his own, taking in his last few breaths in 1998, he couldn't help but look back and reflect on how their lives had changed ever since they first arrived there — all the friends that they had made, all the lives that they had helped save in spite of having been unable to save a few others. He felt a certain sense of pride growing in his chest, and for a second he let himself relish on the fact that he had been an active part of it, not just some supporting character in someone else's story. He felt valid, he felt strong, and above anything else he felt _loved_ by a new group of friends, which was the most priceless thing of the whole experience.

He couldn't help but grin at himself as he stepped into the portal and silently waved 1998 goodbye — knowing that someday, somewhere, he would look back at the year that all fourteen of them had spent together and know that, in spite of everything, it had been one of the best ones of his life.

* * *

Neville was a patient man. He didn't feel stressed when he helped his children with their schoolwork, and he nearly always managed to handle his own house when his wife was away on a Gringotts mission. He was kind to his students and never expected them to do things correctly at first, and always tried to be supportive of the ones who found his class particularly difficult. He was a good teacher, he sometimes reckoned to himself quietly, and he liked to think that he was also a good father and husband. And all of it relied on patience most of the time.

However, he felt how his stomach churned when a few seconds went by and the portal remained brutally silent, with no news from any of the fourteen students that he had sent back in time.

He knew that they weren't among the corpses that they had buried after the Battle. He remembered each and every one of those faces, and he would have known if he had buried one of those children, who had become so close to him over the previous year. But that didn't mean that they made it home safely, did it? They could have gotten lost in the complex web that time was, and they could have landed themselves anywhere from the Stone Age to —

He couldn't help but sigh in relief when Brooklyn's left foot peeked out of the portal, and within seconds the girl was standing in front of him, looking _very_ worn out but also somewhat accomplished with what she had just done.

"I — hello," the girl said, a coy smile on his face. "We did it, Professor."

He hadn't wanted to tell them before they left, of course, but the memories of the year that he had spent alongside a good half of the students that he had now sent back in time flooded his mind and brought a smile to his face. He placed a gentle hand on the sixteen-year-old's shoulder, squeezing it ever so lightly. "Well done, Brooklyn. I knew it."

Elodie and Celine appeared right behind her. There was a yellow-purple bruise underneath Elodie's right eye, but the girl grinned at him when she first saw him. "Professor!"

"Elodie!" He replied, imitating her tone. He then flashed a smile towards Celine, who was trying to make her uniform look mildly decent in spite of everything. "Hello to you too, Celine."

"Oh, hello, Professor," the girl said calmly.

They were soon followed by the rest of the team — Jimmy's expression when he first saw a much older version of the boy that he had grown so close to over the past year was priceless, and Maggie even went as far as hugging him, which nearly brought tears to Neville's eyes. They _had_ been his friends in what now seemed like another life, after all. When all fourteen of them were around him, their expressions tired but somewhat curious, he couldn't help but smile proudly.

"All right," he said. "I think you've earned yourselves a day off. Sleep for as long as you want to, and don't go to class," he had to hold back a laugh when he saw the look of disappointment in Simon's face. "Well, unless you absolutely _want_ to. But please get some rest . . . you deserve it after all you've been through. I'm very proud of all fourteen of you — I hope you're aware of that."

A few of them nodded their heads sleepily, but most of the students grinned at their Professor's remark. He gave each of them a pat on the back before they left — the Hufflepuffs were the first ones to leave, their stomaches rumbling and aching for some food from the kitchens, and the Ravenclaws waved goodbye to them before going back to their tower as well. Lena, Bobby and Niko left with hushed goodbyes, too tired to speak, and Maggie and Thea soon followed them. Calvin waved goodbye to Jimmy with a half-smile on his face, and the Gryffindor nodded acknowledgingly before he disappeared through the door.

"Uh, Professor?" Jimmy asked quietly.

"Yes, Jimmy?" He asked, a half-smile on his face. He had prevented himself from calling his old friend by the nickname that he always used, but he now gathered that he could use it when no-one else was around.

"I was wondering . . . " The boy hesitated for a second, but then said, "Did you miss us once we were gone? Did you and Ginny and Luna ever feel abandoned or talk about us after the battle?"

Neville did a half-smile, somewhat sadly. "I suppose we didn't understand at first, and we were scared because we thought you might have been kidnapped, or killed. Merlin knows anything could've happened that night. We carried on with our lives, but we sometimes met up and talked about you seven — but when I became a teacher here at school and McGonagall told me all about her plan, I immediately figured out what had happened, and told Ginny and Luna a little later. But yes, for a while we did feel slightly abandoned, because you had become very dear friends to us and the uncertainty of not knowing what had happened to you only added more grief to the aftermath of the battle." He could sense how a guilty expression rose on Jimmy's face, but the Professor shook his head and placed a hand on Jimmy's shoulder. "It's all right, Jimmy."

"But it isn't," Jimmy replied, shaking his head. "We should have at least said goodbye."

"What would you have said?" There was a sad smile on Neville's lips now. "It was for the best, Jimmy. I — I remember seeing you at your Sorting Ceremony, all blond curls and big blue eyes and a toothy grin — I immediately recognized you, and you can't believe how proud I felt when I realized that I would get to watch over you for the next few years, knowing that you'd become the bold human being that I knew back in 1997."

Jimmy did a somewhat sheepish smile, which wasn't like him at all. "Thanks, Professor."

He patted the boy's shoulder in a friendly manner. "You'd better get some sleep now, Jimmy. We'll talk tomorrow, all right?"

"All right, Professor. Goodnight."

Neville gave him one last acknowledging nod, and with that the boy left the Room of Requirement and made his way back to the Gryffindor Tower. He ran a hand through his beard and sighed ever so lightly, thinking about how Luna and Ginny had spent years wondering where those fourteen students had gone. There had always been something off about them, but they had chosen to forget about it and befriend them over Neville's last year at school, only to find that they were gone right after the battle, when Luna distractedly commented that the Ravenclaw girls were nowhere to be seen. It had been a low blow for him, after all the loss and pain that entailed the battle, but there was a slight sense of pride building up at the bottom of his stomach when he left the Room of Requirement, knowing that all fourteen of them, both pupils and old friends of his at that point, had grown over that last year in a very special, intimate way — and, most importantly, that they had grown _together_ , in a way that had weaved them just like the war had tied him together with Luna, Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Hermione for the rest of his life. Hopefully the fourteen of them would know how to appreciate the special bond that had blossomed between them, take care of it and make it grow every day. Friendships were like plants, he thought with an amused smile, and theirs had become as strong as the Whomping Willow over the past few months.

Neville did a faint sigh and closed the doors behind him, sealing the secret that was now theirs to keep.

* * *

 _Oh my God. I really can't believe this is happening. I just finished writing this! I really don't know what to say. First off, thanks to everyone who submitted their OC's to this back in the day — it's been a pleasure writing all fourteen of them, and although I wish I could have accepted every submission that I got I have to say that selecting fourteen characters was the wisest choice I have ever made. I feel like I've gotten to explore them all fairly decently, and I've grown to love them all over the last few months — I can't believe their story is already over and that I'm just going to have to leave them in here forever. _

_I also want to thank those of you who have been actively reviewing this story — especially **AnonChan1** , **Firealis** , **Exotence** , **musicaldreams89** , **Artesys** , **James018** and **PercyJacksonAlways** — you guys rock and I mean it._

 _Ahhh I'm so sad this story's over. I might write a little epilogue, but I honestly feel like it should stay the way it is? Idk please let me know what you think. I will mark it as complete as soon as this is up — which is insane, I know. But do not fret! I already have a couple of new SYOCs in mind. How would you guys feel about a Hunger Games SYOC or a Harry Potter SYOC set in the Marauder era? Perhaps a new time-traveling mission with a bunch of new characters set in the same universe than this one so that the original fourteen OC's can have small cameos? I'd love to work with all of you again, so I'm really going to keep your opinion in mind. One way or another, I'll try and have the introduction for whichever I settle on writing up in a couple of weeks or so — I want to take a short break before getting a new story started, because writing this one has been an incredible journey and I want to relish on the fact that I've actually finished writing it and enjoy what's left of my (albeit brief) Christmas holidays with my family before going back to college and very possibly getting a brand new SYOC started. But yeah, please do let me know if you're interested in either of those, or let me know if you've any other ideas that are Harry Potter-related! :)_

 _I think that's it for now. I really can't believe this is happening — the story's over, and I'm supposed to say goodbye to all these characters forever. But it's been a wonderful journey, and I'm glad I decided to get it started a few months ago. It's helped me through a lot of crap and writing it was a distraction from uni and the real world's general bullshit that I really needed, so kudos for that too._

 _Signing off and until the next time,_

 _E._

 _P.S.: I hope you all had tons of fun over the past few days — whether you celebrated Christmas or not, that is, 'cause 'tis the season to be jolly after all. :-)_


End file.
